Pokemon Cold Gray
by Blu Rose
Summary: (Rewrite of Pokemon Gray!) White understands Pokemon, but an incident left her with a crippling fear of them. Now she's on a journey with her brother Black to overcome it. But how can she while clashing with Team Plasma and the odd N?
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Pokémon: Ice Blu Rose version! …What? I got it wrong again? My bad…again.**

**Anyway, welcome to the rewrite of my very first Pokémon fan fiction: Pokémon Gray! Or as it's now called: Pokémon **_**Cold Gray**_**! Yes, I know, the title sucks. I probably should've called it "Frigid Gray" or "Artic Gray" or some other cold-related term, but if Nintendo can get away with adding Alpha and Omega to the names of precious stones, I can get away with adding a simple adjective to a simple color.**

**Anyway, even though Gen 5 has come and passed and Gen 6 with its fancy 3D graphics and fancier Mega Evolutions has already made its roots evident, I still prefer the Gen 5 games and their stories. Don't get me wrong, Kalos isn't entirely bad to me and I love Hoenn despite the fact that I'm not gonna buy Alpha Sapphire, but Unova has won a special place in my heart. So yeah, if I still care for Pokémon by the time the Unova remakes come around—hopefully in the form of the first and second games combined, but Nintendo don't play that—I'd probably buy that.**

**Now, about this rewrite… Things have changed. Pokémon have been dropped. Nicknames have been added. Some scenarios have been changed. New one-off characters have been added. You might not see the changes immediately, but that's for the best. Probably. Hopefully…**

**X-X-X**

_Summary: White is a girl who can understand Pokémon, but an incident left her with a severe fear of them. Her brother Black is an optimistic young boy who yearns for the adrenaline of Pokémon battles. On a journey together to accomplish their respective goals, the two are pursued by Team Plasma and followed by the mysterious N._

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own Pokémon in any way or form. She only owns the personas that she's created for Black and White's male and female main characters, Black/Touya/Hilbert and White/Touko/Hilda._

_Warning!: This story won't completely follow the story of Pokémon Black and White versions, so don't be surprised if you see things on a Route that shouldn't be there like certain Pokémon or areas, or if scenes don't go the exact same way as they do in the games. It's called creativity, people._

**X-X-X**

_~The Start of Something Big~_

_I could feel myself growing colder by the second, both inside and out. I was sure that the tears that trailed down my cheeks and hit the ground became ice in less than a second. So this is what it felt like to be slowly freezing to death._

_Something roared loudly and the ground shook as a shadow became apparent in a mist, eyes glowing yellow. If possible, the air grew even colder the larger it became. Now my body slowly began to freeze, becoming covered in ice as the giant shadowy figure loomed over me. I couldn't help it. I broke down completely and started screaming, but its roar drowned me out.  
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**X-X-X**

"NO!" I shouted. It took a while for me to open my eyes and notice that I was in my little room in my bed, drenched in sweat. "…Just a dream…!" I stuttered, getting up out of the bed and walking over to the mirror dresser on the other side of the room. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my long brown hair a mess from tossing and turning in my sleep. My blue eyes reflected irritation from that awful nightmare.

"WHITE!" And that irritation increased when my brother Black burst through the door of my room. He looked like he had just woken up too, because his hair was a mess and he was dressed in a simple black shirt and boxers with little Pikachu printed on them. "The day has finally arrived!" He exclaimed, his light brown eyes shining brightly.

"That's very nice, Black. Now put on some pants and get out of my room," I told him flatly without even sparing him a glance and pointing at him. "_Now_."

"But—!"

"Black! What are you doing not wearing your pants?!" I heard my mother scold the idiot from out in the hallway. "Go put some clothes on!"

"Alright, alright! Geez…! You'd think I was the only one excited about this…" Black mumbled to himself, looking depressed as he closed the door.

"…Moron." I mumbled as I picked up a brush and began to brush my hair. I grabbed a scrunchie and put my hair up into a bushy ponytail. I took a deep breath and sighed before looking at the calendar on the wall. Today's date had been circled with a red marker at some point—probably by Black—and the words '_1st PKMN' _were written in the circle. "Oh, no…"

**X-X-X**

Later downstairs, the family had sat down to breakfast. Me and Black were still in our pajamas—Black now wearing pajama pants—while Mom was already wearing her day clothes.

"Why don't you wanna come?!" Black complained.

"Why?" I asked before drinking my juice.

"Because…it's a growing experience!"

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Between the two of us, you think _I'm_ the one in need of a growing experience?"

"Uh…you could see new places!" Black immediately changed his answer. "You wanna see the world, don't you?"

"I can see it just fine over the Internet."

"Then…you'll be able to get over your phobia!" I twitched and kicked my brother in the shin. "Ow!"

"You know by now that your sister doesn't like to talk about that, Black. Leave her alone about it today, okay?" Mom told him. "Besides, you'll have Cheren and Bianca with you."

"Nope. At least not Cheren," Black muttered under his breath.

"What's wrong? Did you two get in a fight again?" I don't even know why she asked that question. Black and Cheren fought at least once a week, from arguments about whether or not there was human life on other planets to fights about who would be the better Pokémon trainer. A fight was inevitable, which made life around the two somewhat annoying.

Black suddenly seemed to have flames burning in his eyes. Or maybe that was just a reflection of light. "Cheren is my rival! Rivals can't go on journeys together! They have to go their own way and live their own lives, meeting up for long and arduous battles in which there can only be one victor!" By the end of his little speech, Black was standing on top of his chair and holding a fist up to the ceiling. Talk about being overdramatic.

"That's nice, sweetie. So long as you two aren't angry at each other," Mom said with a smile before she went back to eating her scrambled eggs. "Now sit down and finish your breakfast." As Black sat back down, there was a knock on the front door. "Coming!" Mom got up from her seat and walked over to the door. She opened the door saying, "How may I help…you…?"

Standing in the doorway was a Pidgeot. At first glimpse of the bird Pokémon, I froze and felt the urge to run, but my legs were pretty much unwilling to move. My brother, of course, reacted the way only people like him would to the sight of a Pokémon from a completely different region.

"Woooow! A Pidgeot~! It's soooo cool!" He swooned. Yes, Black, a _boy_, swooned at the sight of a Pokémon. He was what some may call a _Pokémaniac_. He watched shows on Pokémon, he played games with Pokémon, collected Pokémon memorabilia… The boy was obsessed in a way no 15-year old should be.

Black jumped out of his seat to see the Pidgeot up close, but it had already taken off by the time he reached the door. He slumped over in depression over not getting in a look while I gave a sigh of relief and felt the feeling come back to my legs. I could hear people gasping in awe right outside our house. Mom closed the door and turned around, holding a small cardboard box in her hands.

"What is it, Mom?" My brother asked, getting over his nonexistent time with a Pidgeot. He gave his mother a suspicious look. "You didn't send out for anything from the Home Shopping Network again, did you?"

"Don't be silly! I haven't done that for a week!"

"Exactly."

She looked down at the package. "It's addressed to White." At that, I blinked in confusion. Who would send something to me? "It's from your father."

"…Oh." _Great_. I put on my best emotionless face as I watched Mom put the box down in front of me. My mom and brother were staring at me expectantly.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?"

_No, I'm gonna go dropkick it into the sea_…was what I wanted to say. Instead, I silently gave in to my family's stares and opened the box. Inside was a Poké Ball with a piece of Pikachu print stationary. I picked up the stationary and opened it up. "To White. Here's an early birthday present. Love Dad." I looked back down at the Poké Ball in the box and flinched visibly.

"Something wrong?" I heard my mom ask.

"Uh… B-black! You want this?" I spoke quickly, holding up the Poké Ball. I was eager to get the thing and its contents away from me as soon as possible.

"Is that…?" My brother began.

"White! Don't you think it's a bit unfair to your father to just give your gift away?" Mom scolded me.

"But I—!"

"Why not see what's inside before you try giving it away?"

I gulped. My hand shook as it slowly reached inside and took the Poké Ball out. It felt like an eternity until Black spoke, "Will you open it already? I gotta go and get dressed before—!"

The front door opened once more, only this time someone burst in. "BLAAAAACK!" It was Bianca, a blonde girl who was one of our childhood friends. Her shouting made everyone jump, including me, and as a result, the Poké Ball in my hand dropped to the floor. "Let's go to the lab together!"

The Poké Ball opened and released something in a flash of light. When the light faded, the Pokémon inside was shown standing in front of the ball. It was small…yellow…mouse-like with little black tips on its ears and red-tinged cheeks. Its big brown eyes were staring up at me.

"Cool! A Pichu! You can't even _find_ those in Unova!" Black stated.

"Awww…! It's adorable!" Mom cooed.

The Pichu continued staring at me. In a few seconds, its large eyes were shimmering with what appeared to be instant affection. "MOMMYYYY!" It ran forward and clung to my leg, rubbing its face against it. I was already shaking and sweating before _that_, so by the time it hugged me, my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I fainted.

**X-X-X**

A successful resuscitation later, I found myself outside and dressed up in a simple white and gray T-shirt and knee-length black shorts. Why? Because my dear brother Black had gotten his claws into my arm and was dragging me to the lab of the local Pokémon Professor, Professor Juniper. Professor Juniper had requested that Black, and also our friends Bianca and Cheren, go across the region and collect data on Pokémon, and today was the day they got their first Pokémon and Pokédexes.

"So, uh…_why_ do you have your Poké Ball in a box? With the flaps taped over?" Bianca asked curiously. She was a green-eyed blonde who liked dressing up in bright outfits—today's being orange and white. Her thought patterns might make her seem like a stereotypical blonde at times, but she was nicer to me than most girls at our school had been.

"Because I don't want the thing inside getting out again until I can find someone willing to take it off my hands to a faraway place—like the North Pole," I answered flatly as Black continued to drag me. "Hey, do _you_ want it, Bianca? You're going on a Pokémon journey, so you'll need all you can get."

"_Really_?!" Bianca's lit up as she exclaimed. "It looks so adorable, I could just—"

"_Don't do it, Bianca_," Black interrupted. "That Pichu was a gift from Dad to White, and it'd make him real sad if she just gave it away."

"Oh. Okay…"

"What exactly was the sense in giving a person with Poképhobia a Pokémon as a present? He should have predicted that something like this would happen." Asked Cheren, my brother's dark-haired, glasses-wearing friend. Between all four of us, Cheren was probably the most intellectual. Granted, there were times when he could be something of a smart aleck, but he did make sense.

"_Exactly_," I agreed with a frown.

"Well… Maybe this is his way of helping," Bianca suggested. "If you wanna overcome your fears, you need to face them head on!"

"You sound like Black…" I muttered before we came to a stop in front of the professor's lab. "You know, you _still _haven't told me why you're doing this!" When I got no reply from my brother, I resisted the urge to groan. Well, at least I could have the Professor take this little fuzzy ball of death off my hands. Or so I thought…

My brother opened the door and the four of us walked inside to be greeted by Professor Juniper. "Good morning, all! I trust you're all excited, right? I can't begin to tell you how much of a help you're being by using these Pokédexes on your journey," she said with a smile.

Black beamed. "No problem!"

"Besides, after our mothers asked you to give us Pokémon to start us off, we had to do something in exchange," Cheren finished.

"So, can we see our Pokémon now? Please?"

The professor smiled and stepped out of the way so the three of them could see. Resting on the table were three Poké Balls—all of which probably held their own mini terrors. They walked up to the table and each took a Poké Ball. I closed my eyes and backed away as I was sure what was coming next…

I heard the sounds of Poké Balls opening. Then I heard Bianca give a squeal of "how cute~!" and Black an exclamation of "Cool!" while Cheren was silent, but he was probably just observing his own. The Professor went on to explain which Pokémon each had gotten, but I had drowned her out when the box in my hand began to shake. Surprisingly, it was the bottom that gave way, and I saw the little Pichu drop out along with its Poké Ball.

"MOMMYYYYYYY!" That high-pitched cry sounded before I felt something furry clinging to my leg. And for the second time that day, I fainted.

**X-X-X**

Another resuscitation later, Professor Juniper was inspecting the Pichu, which was bouncing in place on the table and apparently anxious to attack me once again. So for my own protection, I hid behind Cheren and Black in the hopes that it would cling to one of them instead.

"Hmmm… Well, I'm not a specialist on Pokémon breeding, but I can safely conclude that this Pichu is quite young. Less than a year old, I surmise," the professor stated.

"But…it came in a Poké Ball," Black pointed out.

"It was probably caught before it could imprint on anything to recognize as its mother. When it was released from its ball, it set its eyes on the first living thing in front of it and…"

"Mommy…!" The Pichu whined for what seemed like the hundredth time. Its eyes looked like they were tearing up. It was really annoying. "Mommy…!"

"Stop calling me that!" I shouted, making everyone else in the room jump. It was bad enough that I had to deal with the little yellow thing, but no one else knew just what it was that it was saying.

For as long I could remember, I'd been able to understand Pokémon. To me, what they were saying weren't merely cries, but English, plain and simple. Hardly anyone ever believed me about it, though. As a kid, they said I was playing pretend or was just weird. Ah, the joys of being a freak of nature.

"Right… Anyway, I don't see any reason to fear this Pokémon in particular," Professor Juniper stated.

"What?! But it tried to attack me! Any Pokémon can pretty much kill a normal person like me without much effort! Even the cute little ones like _that_!" I exclaimed, pointing a finger at the Pichu.

"Mom—!"

"Don't you dare say _that_ again!"

Professor Juniper gave a sheepish smile and tilted her head. "While that _is_ true, this Pichu is too young to be of any harm. Why, at most, it can give you a shock as harmful as an electrical short's. So it should be fine to leave with you."

"And what the heck am _I_ supposed to do with it?" I grumbled under my breath.

The professor blinked. "Supposed to do? Isn't that the Pokémon you're going to leave with?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Leave _where_?" I noticed that at this point, Black had begun to inch away from me. "_Black_…!"

Professor Juniper looked at my brother in confusion. "Black? Didn't you tell me that White agreed to help out with my research as well so she could bear being around Pokémon?"

At those words, something ignited within me. Hate. _Intense hate_. Directed at… "BLAAAAAACK!" I screamed. I hoped that I looked more frightening than any sort of Pokémon that inhabited this world or any other.

"It wasn't _my_ idea! Mom told me to ask her _for_ you!" Black broke down.

"WHAT?!"

"She said that it was the reason why Dad got that Pichu for you. He must want you to get better, too, by being exposed and seeing for yourself that Pokémon aren't so bad."

"NO! No, no, no! I'm not going and no one can make me!" I shouted, shaking my head and on the verge of crying.

"The world is chock full of Pokémon! Whether or not you want to, you're gonna encounter them a couple of times. You might as well take the chance to get over it now!" Black kept on insisting. "I mean, really… You know how embarrassing it would be, being afraid of something as small as a Pichu when you're a grown woman?! You'd have to become a shut-in to not run into any one of them!"

I was speechless. Black had a point. If this kept up, I wouldn't be able to leave Nuvema Town because of all the Pokémon in the wild. Maybe not even my house. I'd become a shut-in for my own safety. I stared down at the ground with lifeless eyes, trying to imagine what sort of crazy person I'd become, being shut off from the rest of the world…

"So, do you want that to happen, or do you wanna change?!" My brother exclaimed as he shoved his face into mine.

"I…I don't…want…!"

**X-X-X**

I have no idea how that worked, but minutes later, I was standing on the path leading out of Nuvema Town with Black and Cheren, dressed up in a black vest over a white short and jean shorts with black and pink boots. I frowned as I tugged on the visor of my white and pink cap and scrounged around inside of the pink bag that hung off my shoulder. I pulled out the Pokédex that Professor Juniper gave me and looked up the information on Pichu.

Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. Electric type. The electric sacs in its cheeks are small, but it is inept at retaining electricity within them. If it is startled or its electricity leaks, it will discharge its power.

I stared at the word _'discharge'_ for a while before I turned off the Pokédex and put it back in my bag. My fingers brushed against the smooth surface of the…_my_ Pichu's Poké Ball. Hopefully there'd come a time when I wouldn't be afraid of having that thing pop out of its Poké Ball at random like it did.

"I'm here, I'm here!" We all turned around to see Bianca running towards us, fixing up her hat.

"There you are! What took you so long?" Cheren chided the blonde girl.

"Um…nothing important!" She spoke quickly, hooking arms with the dark-haired boy. "Ready to go?"

"You know it!" Black exclaimed, hooking arms with Cheren on his other side. My brother said it was because they had all promised to walk out of town together when they were younger. Only he and Bianca were taking it more seriously than Cheren might have with wanting to step in the exact same time. Black looked at me and waved his hand. "Come on! You, too!" Hesitantly, I hooked arms with him. "Alright! Forward march!"

The four of us began walking forward, somehow keeping in step together. The next town was already within sight. It would only take a few minutes to get there. I took a deep breath as we entered the tall grass. I was determined to remain calm and collected and focus on trying to overcome my fears.

"Huh? Oh, look!" Bianca pointed out a hairy little dog-like Pokémon that had walked in front of us. It stopped upon seeing us and barked defensively. "Aw, how cute! I'm gonna catch it if no one else minds!"

Black pulled his Pokédex out of his blue bag and pointed it at the dog-like Pokémon. "It says it's a Lillipup. It's…a Normal type and the hair on its face helps it to sense change in its surroundings."

I felt my heart begin to race and I could feel myself choking up. Before Bianca could release her Pokémon from the Poké Ball in her hand, I fainted.

Yup. This journey had gotten off to a successful start…

**X-X-X**

_I blinked and stared at the creature in front of me. A small, yellow mouse-like creature that, at the time, stood taller than me. My tiny hands groped the parts of its body curiously: its lightning bolt-like tail, its black-tipped ears, the little red sacs on its cheeks. With each tug I made, it said "Ow" in a dull tone. At some point, larger hands grabbed my own and began directing them. They led me to touching the Pokémon's cheeks, forcing me to rub them in circles. The mouse Pokémon started to smile and gave a happy cry. For some reason, knowing it was happy made __**me**__ happy, too. I giggled and accidentally gripped the mouse's cheek. It winced in pain and released a zap of electricity—not enough to seriously hurt a person, but enough to make me start bawling._

"_Sshh-sshh-sshh. It's alright. Pikachu didn't mean to hurt you, just like you didn't mean to hurt him, sweetheart,"_ _a voice spoke from behind me. The Pikachu leaned forward and started to rub my cheeks the same way I rubbed his. I quickly forgot the zapping and started giggling again. "See? Friends already. Hm? Black, don't put that in your mouth!"As the voice faded, I started to rub the Pikachu's cheek again, cooing happily as I did._

**X-X-X**

When I woke up, there was something rubbing against my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes, expecting it to be Black or Bianca trying to wake me up. Instead, I was staring into the large brown eyes of my Pichu. I flinched and almost screamed until it began to bounce up and down beside me.

"Mommy!" It exclaimed, rubbing its cheek against mine. Once more, I felt my heart race. I remembered the Pokédex entry about Pichu discharging electricity and I thought that that would happen right then. I wanted to push the thing off of me right then and there, but I remembered what I was supposed to be doing. So, after several seconds of staring it down—and having it cutely stare back at me—I petted it in a stiff manner. The Pokémon nuzzled into the palm of my hand and squealed pleasantly. The Pichu may have been enjoying the contact, but I was terrified of being shocked. So I tried to ignore what I was doing by taking a look at my surroundings.

It looked like I was in a room at a Pokémon Center. I hadn't been inside one in ages, but I'm sure it looked the same as the one I'd visited before—and all others in the region, I bet. There were several beds—the one next to the bed I was on was unmade. Did the guys drag me here after I fainted outside of Nuvema Town? How embarrassing. People in Nuvema were used to the sight of someone dragging my unconscious self, but I'd never been to the next town over. They probably thought something was seriously wrong with me. In a twisted way, there _was_.

I got off the bed and walked downstairs, my Pichu trailing behind me. As usual, people were going in and out of the building. I approached the front counter where a nurse stood. When I walked over to her and asked her where the people I came in with went, she said that Cheren and Bianca had already left, but Black had gone out saying he would be back.

"I can't believe they just went and left without saying anything…! They're gonna get an earful when I see them again!" I huffed as I walked over to the magazine case. I started searching through the magazines while trying to calm down. "Hm... What's this?" I picked up a magazine and stared at an article title on the front page. "How to get closer to your Pokémon. Page 24."

"Ohhh…" I looked down and saw my Pichu scratching the cover of a magazine featuring another Pichu and its owner. I lightly nudged it in the side to make it stop and it started to take an interest in the lace of my boot. I rolled my eyes before turning to the article page and reading:

"It has long been confirmed that how happy a Pokémon is has an effect on how it fights, how it evolves, and of course how it treats its trainer. Whether you're curious about how to make your stubborn new Pokémon like you or simply want to get closer to your Poké pal, these tips will help you on your path.

"#1: Give it a good nickname. Nicknames are given to Pokémon whose owners have multiple of the same species and need to distinguish among them or to personalize a Pokémon. Never give your Pokémon an insulting name. I remember in my childhood how a kid named his Pidove 'Idiot' because it flew into a window before he caught it. The poor thing looked miserable for as long as I could remember until it was traded to another kid who changed its name to something nicer. Despite what some people may think, Pokémon are smart enough to know when something is insulting or not. Even the baby ones eventually realize what certain words like _'Idiot'_ mean.

"Well, I may fear the thing, but I wouldn't name it something like _'idiot'_…" I mumbled to myself. I looked down at the Pichu to see that it was untying the laces of my boots now. "Stop that." It stopped immediately and looked down in shame. Great. Now I felt bad. "…I'm not mad at you."

The Pichu's eyes shone. "Mommy…!"

"Is that honestly all you can say?" I stared down at it in thought before I pointed down at the tiny mouse. "Your nickname will be…Tiny. Can you say Tiny? Tie…knee. Tiny."

"Tuh…Teeenyyy…" Tiny pronounced slowly.

"_Tie_…"

"…Tie…ny… Tiny…"

I pointed at myself. "White. Wuh…ite."

"W-wuh…ite. White." I smiled in success. "Mommy White." And then I held my hand to my face. I guess the Professor was right. Until it knew better, I was its mommy.

"Oh, well… I'll make the most of it…" I looked at the digital watch on my wrist. It was already past noon. How long was I out? I could feel my stomach gnawing at my insides now as I glanced at the magazine's price. "Better buy some lunch, too, while I'm at it."

**X-X-X**

Accumula Town was small, but still bigger than Nuvema Town and refreshingly different in some ways. It had a Pokémon Center, apartment complexes, and tall, grassy hills that gave you a good view of other towns. But I wasn't too concerned with any of that. Instead, I concentrated on finding a place to eat. Tiny was riding around inside of my bag, his head poking out of the flap. The magazine I bought said a way of becoming closer with your Pokémon was to keep them out of their ball so they could walk beside or be carried by you. But I was too afraid to let him walk on the ground and risk getting squished by something and too nervous to hold him out of fear of being shocked.

Eventually, after wandering for nearly 15 minutes, I spotted a diner across the street. I started to run towards it until a trio of Lillipups on leashes ran in my way, pulling their trainer along. Their owner accidentally pushed me down, not even apologizing as they disappeared down the street.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A loud cry coming from in front of me made me forget about the slight stinging feeling behind my leg. Tiny was on the ground, holding onto his head and crying up a storm. He must've fallen out of the bag when I fell back. I could feel stares from people passing by, but I didn't care. I was too worried about whether or not he was seriously hurt.

"C'mon, lemme see…" I cooed softly, slowly pulling his paws away from his head. A light red patch stuck out in his forehead—blood from when he scraped his head from his fall. "Shush, shush, shush! Keep quiet now!" Tiny took it down a level with the crying, but he still whimpered loud enough for me to hear. I started scrounging through my bag, looking for a potion. I suddenly froze and realized I didn't even bring a potion along! What kind of trainer was I?!

I almost felt like cursing my luck out loud when I heard the sound of a spraying, followed by the sound of Tiny cooing. I looked in front of me and saw someone kneeling in front of someone holding a potion bottle in their hand.

"Ah! Thank you so much! I thought I'd have to run all the way back to the Pokémon Center!" I exclaimed. I had no idea why I felt so relieved. Just this morning, I fainted twice at the sight of the little Pokémon and now I was worried over a scratch. There really _was_ something wrong with my head.

The person who had healed Tiny stood up and looked down at me. He had long green hair tied back into a bushy ponytail and wore a black and white hat on his head, a white shirt with a black one underneath and beige pants with green shoes. I think I was paying more attention to his clothes because he was giving me a sort of judging look.

"Is this your Pokémon?"

"Uh…" I stared, not sure if I should say he was. If I did, I was afraid those eyes would get angry and this guy would start lecturing me about treating my Pokémon right or keeping them in their Poké Balls so they'd be safe. I warily began to answer _'Yes'_ when Tiny hugged up against my leg.

"Mommy…!" Apparently even Tiny was afraid of this stranger's look. Electricity began to surge around his little cheeks and he gave a cry. He had shocked himself in fear of this guy.

"Your Pokémon… Why did it call you _'Mommy'_?" He asked.

"Huh? Well, he's a newborn and I was the first thing he saw. So he imprinted on me and thinks I'm his mother. At least until he realizes that a human can't make a Pichu…" I blinked. "Uh… Excuse me, but how did you know it called me _'Mommy'_?"

"Because that's what it just said."

"Well, that's _all_ he can say. We're working on expanding his vocabulary— I-I mean, _how_ did you know what he said?! Can you…understand him, too?" He stared at me in confusion before he nodded and I instantly found myself on my feet. "Oh, wow! This is great! I didn't think there was anyone else out there who could understand Pokémon! All these years, I thought I was the only freak of nature out there!" I was so excited; I didn't seem to notice how close I was to the guy or how startled he looked.

A growling sound made my smile drop. I looked down and saw a small fox-like Pokémon standing next to the green-haired guy. It was black with shades of red in its fur and its blue eyes were glaring up at me. At the sight of the hostile Pokémon, my breath got held up in my throat and I fainted…

**X-X-X**

And surprisingly woke up in a matter of minutes with my green-haired freak-in-arms still there, kneeling next to me. Up close, he looked like he was about my age, maybe a year or two older. I was a bit too lightheaded to realize that I was staring into his green eyes.

Then I heard a little bark and felt the black fox Pokémon jump onto my stomach to glare at me. I started to sweat and began to feel lightheaded. "G-g-get it off of meeee!" I screamed.

The tea green-haired boy stared at me in confusion. "You don't like Zorua?"

"I don't like having it _on_ me! J-just tell it to get off!"

He looked down at the Pokémon he called Zorua. "You're making her uncomfortable."

"She was invading your personal space," Zorua spoke, still glaring at me.

"I didn't _mean_ to…" I spoke, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. Tiny was one thing because he was harmless and liked me, but this Pokémon had a nasty look in its eyes. But I was doing good, right? Crying like a baby was better than fainting, right? "I'm sorry…! J-just don't hurt me…!"

"Mommy?" Tiny stared at me as tears trailed down my cheeks. "Mommy…?" My little Pichu looked at Zorua and frowned. He growled and attacked it with a jolt that almost made it fall off of me.

"Did you just do what I _think_ you just did?" Zorua asked, narrowing its eyes until the green-haired guy picked it up and put it behind him. "H-hey! N! What are you doing?! Lemme at that little yellow…!"

"I'm sorry if Zorua was rude to you," the boy apologized. "He…is my friend, and doesn't want anyone to hurt me."

I wiped my tears off on my arm. "I-it's okay…" I stood up slowly and dusted myself off. I picked up Tiny and held him close to my chest. I felt his paws clutch my chest as he glared down at Zorua.

"Your Pokémon seems to like you very much."

"Thank you…um… What's your name?"

"N."

"N? Is that an initial for something?"

He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "…No. Just N."

Just…N? And I thought Cheren was unlucky when it came to names. This guy only had a letter. Still, he seemed nice, and he could understand Pokémon, too. The comfort alone in knowing there was someone else out there like me made me happy enough. "I'm White. It's nice to meet you!" I said, holding out my hand in greeting. He stared at it, as if hesitating. After a few seconds, he took hold of my hand and shook it.

**X-X-X**

Okay, now I was confused. I went out in search of my brother, and now I'm having lunch with a stranger I just met on the street who may or may _not_ be a psychotic killer, or whose Pokémon may or may _not_ want to hurt and/or kill me. Maybe my hunger and the want of saving money by splitting a bill got the better of me. Curse my stomach and my frugalness…!

"So, this is your first time in Accumula Town, too, huh? That's cool." I spoke, taking a bite of my cheeseburger. Here I was, sitting in a booth with N on the other side. Tiny was sitting in the corner near the window for his own safety. I didn't want to put him on the ground with N's Pokémon after what happened—especially since the Pokédex told me that it was a Dark type and used illusions. Definitely _not_ something I want him near.

N stared down at his cheeseburger and fries as if he had never seen them. I arched an eyebrow as he delicately took up a ketchup-covered fry and nibbled it. After a while, he started to eat more.

"What's the matter? Never had French fries before?" He shook his head, probably too polite to talk with his mouth full. "Weird. Your parents have you on a strict diet or something?" I'd heard of that before. Some health-conscious nuts only fed their children healthy foods and avoided junk food.

"Mommy." I looked down at Tiny. He pointed at himself, done with the berries he was eating. "Tiny…" He then pointed at the burger in my hands.

"You can't have this. It's too big for you." The Pichu pouted and got all teary eyed. Whether or not his species could even do it, I think Tiny had Fake Tears down to an art. "No." He started to whine. "…Here, have a French fry." I broke a fry in half and dipped it in ketchup before popping it into Tiny's mouth. He started to chew and when he swallowed, he held his cheeks in delight and began to bounce. "You want more? Alright…but that's it!"

N stopped indulging in fries long enough to watch me feed Tiny another fry. "Could I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why would I shoot you…?" I gave him a confused stare that he gave me back. He broke off eye contact. He was probably taught it was rude to stare, too. "Your Pokémon. I've never seen anything like it."

That wasn't a question. "Yeah. He's a Pichu. You don't find any of his species here in Unova—at least not in the wild."

"So he's a rare Pokémon. Why don't you keep him inside of his ball, then? Aren't you afraid he'll be hurt or stolen? Or do you like to show it off?"

I arched an eyebrow. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the look in his eye had gotten colder. "No… He just doesn't wanna stay inside. He always pops out whenever I don't want him to, so I figured he'd be happier outside of it. Besides…" I reached into my bag and pulled out Tiny's Poké ball…or what remained of it, anyway. It'd gotten broken during the fall somehow. "I'd have to buy another Poké Ball for him if he ever _did_ want to go back… Plus, I read somewhere that walking alongside your Pokémon made them act friendlier towards you."

"But what will you do if you catch more Pokémon? You can't possibly have them all out of their Poké Balls and keep track of them. And league rules state you can only have six, which mean any more than that will be forced into containment in one of those dreaded PCs." I got the feeling that _'containment'_ of Pokémon was not a favorite subject of N's.

"I'm not…in the league. I mean, I'm not gonna run around challenging gyms or anything. I'm just…traveling for the experience." And so I won't faint at the sight of every Pidove and Lillipup. "…Is…there something wrong, N?"

N looked out the window with a distant look in his eyes. "It's wrong how humans catch and trap Pokémon inside of Poké Balls and PC Boxes, using them as weapons for battles and means of entertainment…always getting them hurt, but as soon as they're healed, it seems like they forget about it and make them get hurt all over again. But your Pichu…seems to truly adore you. How bizarre. But then again, perhaps he's too young for you to be cruel towards him."

Well, it's not like Tiny has ever been in a battle. The closest it got was zapping Zorua with a puny thunderbolt. And he was still just a baby, and I was his mommy. What baby hated their mommy so long as they gave them the attention they needed? After a while, I realized that I was staring at him, so I diverted my attention to my burger. "Well, at least trainers don't leave them to die… Good ones, anyway. Out there in the wild, Pokémon can fight and hurt each other and no one will be there to help them. Either way, there's something out there that can kill them, right? It's the same way with humans—they can kill each other or have Pokémon kill them. It's kinda sad how fragile both of us can actually be…"

I looked up at N and noticed that he was staring at me now, like he was paying close attention to what I was saying. Most people would look at me like I was morbid or something for saying such things about Pokémon, but he looked curious for more. So I gave him more.

"What would you say if…I told you a wild Pokémon attacked a child? The child didn't hurt or provoke it. They didn't even know it was there. Say the child…just got lost and wanted to go home when it came across the Pokémon. Large…intimidating…r-roaring and looking at her with cold eyes and tried to freeze her to death until she was nearly frozen all o-over, and it was about to eat her whole until—!"

I suddenly stopped and dropped the burger. I stared down at the table with wide eyes, my heart beating against my chest and my blood running cold in my veins. What sort of idiot was I?! I could feel stares from everyone in the diner. I just kept talking and talking, my voice getting louder and my tone becoming more panicked… I must have sounded like a psycho.

But surprisingly, N wasn't looking at me like I was crazy. Rather, he looked contemplative. "…I think…that the Pokémon could not be at fault. Perhaps the Pokémon endured a traumatic experience at some point that had made it violent. But I suppose the child is not at fault, either, if it was only an accident." He tilted his head curiously. "What happened to the child, by the way?"

"…She's gone now." And all that's left is a shell that fears all Pokémon—save for the little electric mouse she'd just grown attached to.

"Oh. That's…sad."

"Isn't it?"

N looked down at his Xtransceiver. "…Can you come and see something with me? You need to see it."

I blinked in confusion. "Um, okay…" I really hoped that he wasn't going to do anything creepy now…

**X-X-X**

After splitting the bill for lunch, N led me back over to the Pokémon Center where a crowd had gathered, whispering things amongst themselves. We made our way to the front with Zorua on N's shoulder and Tiny in my arms, where we could get a clear view of what was going on.

The center of attraction was a group of people dressed in clothes that made them look like knights. They set up poles that had cloth banners blowing in the breeze with a stylized blue P on a black and white shield emblazoned on the chests. In the middle of all the knights was a man with long pale green hair, dressed in purple and gold robes with a white and red eyepiece over one eye. The green-haired man cleared his throat and the knights stepped aside, standing at ease like soldiers.

"Greetings. I am Ghetsis of Team Plasma. And I would like to talk to you all about Pokémon liberation. I'm sure most of you believe that humans and Pokémon and partners who live together and need each other. However, is that _really_ the truth? Or is that what we humans only _assume_ to be the truth?" The green-haired man began to walk back and forth, and people's eyes followed him. "Pokémon are forced to follow the _selfish_ commands of Trainers, injuring themselves in battles that we engage in for sport and enjoyment. But they are much more than a means of entertainment, ladies and gentleman. Pokémon have so much unknown potential, and they know so many things that we've yet to learn. So what is our responsibility to these wonderful beings? The answer is _liberation_. We must liberate the Pokémon of the world; release them from the restraints that trainers have placed upon them! Only then will humans and Pokémon truly equal!"

The people in the crowd began to talk: "Liberate Pokémon?" "Will my Pokémon really be happier if I let it go?" "But it took so long for me to catch it…!" "Bah, it's just a load of poppycock."

"As I end my words here today, I implore you all to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon, and the correct way to proceed. We of Team Plasma sincerely appreciate your attention." Ghetsis finished as the knights packed up their banners and formed around him in a c-shaped formation. They then started to march away, leaving people to talk amongst themselves. And for a moment, I swore I could see Ghetsis looking in our direction from behind his human shields. It had to have been my imagination.

Once the crowd had dispersed, I looked at N in confusion. "Was _that_ what you wanted to show me?"

N nodded. "Don't you think Team Plasma speaks the truth? Things need to change. If people want to make Pokémon happy, they should just set them all free. So long as they're being confined into Poké Balls, they'll never become perfect beings."

"Slow down! I can't understand you!" I chided the green-haired boy. He seemed to have a habit of speaking fast when it came to the subject of Pokémon.

Despite my interrupting him, the focused look on his face didn't change. "I promise will change the world and make it a better place for Pokémon. Because they're my friends." He started to walk away from me, heading in the same direction as Team Plasma had. He then stopped and turned around to face me. "Talking with you was more interesting than with other trainers. Maybe we'll meet again, White." I saw Zorua stick his tongue out at me at those words before his owner turned his back on me and left.

"…Well, Tiny…I think we met a weird one today. Just like on TV: the cute ones always have something wrong with them." My goodness, did I just call that weirdo _'cute'_?

"Weee…weeeird…" Tiny pronounced slowly. He really was learning at leaps and bounds in vocabulary.

"And what was with those guys in the weird knight getups? Who would be crazy enough to dress up like that in public?!"

"Weeeird…"

"I know, right? They looked like they belonged in a play or something." I looked over my shoulder and saw Black with a little gray bird on his head and a little blue and white Pokémon with a shell on its stomach sitting on his shoulder. He gave me a casual wave. "Hi."

"D-don't _'hi'_ me! You just left me in there without waking me up or telling me where you were going!" I complained, pinching my brother's cheek. But when the bird started fluttering its wings and the blue one began to glare at me, I stopped and jumped back, breathing fast.

"Easy, guys! She's my sister! It's normal family jibbing!" Black explained, trying to calm down his Pokémon. When he did, he walked over to me, staying a good enough distance away so I wouldn't be _too_ close to his Pokémon. "White, I don't believe you've been introduced to Oshawott."

"Hi!" The blue Pokémon, Oshawott, spoke up, waving a paw.

"Hi!" Tiny mimicked, but I doubt he knew what he said.

"And this is Pidove! I caught him while you were knocked out!" The Pidove stretched its wings and puffed out its chest. Was it trying to intimidate me?

Black looked down at Tiny and blinked. "Huh? Ah! White! You're holding your Pichu now!"

"His name is Tiny. And quit acting like it's such a big deal," I muttered.

"And you _nicknamed him_, _too_?! That's wonderful! That means you're over your fear of Pokémon now!"

"No."

"…No?"

"No."

"Well, why not?"

I reached into my bag and pulled out a piece of paper, which I held out in front of my brother. It was a list of all the sorts of types of Pokémon. "I'm not over my phobia until I can overcome my logical fear of every sort of Pokémon! And I'm not even over Electric types yet because Tiny is pretty much harmless!"

"Harmless? He fried that Lillipup Bianca wanted to catch when it tried to chew off your scrunchie while you were unconscious!"

"That's an over-exaggeration, don'tcha think…?" Oshawott mumbled, looking out of the corner of its eye. "It ran off when it got a little jolt."

"Then again, it _is_ just a baby Pokémon. A baby Pichu is nothing compared to a Pikachu or Raichu when it comes to electrical power. So I guess you're really _not_ over it yet." Black started to smile again and clapped a hand on my shoulder. "But you're getting there! You're holding a Pokémon in your hands! That's a great start! But if you wanna get better, you know you have to own at least 17 Pokémon with different types—or at least get in contact with that many. Give or take those with two types."

…17 Pokémon. I'd have to be in contact with 17 Pokémon in order to get better…at most. I started to shake at the thought and felt my heart get caught in my lungs. Black snapped his fingers in front of me. When I thought I would faint, I heard Tiny cooing. I forced myself to give a weak smile, although I was still shaking. "S-s-seventeen Pokémon? No sweat! I'll beat this thing in no time!" Or die of fright trying.

**X-X-X**

**Please review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	2. Chapter 2

**For those who haven't been made aware, Pokémon Gray has been started over as Pokémon Cold Gray! Yeah, there isn't much of a difference in this chapter save towards the end. We really won't be seeing any newly added content for another two chapters, so bear with me!**

_Disclaimer:_ Blu Rose does not own Pokémon, for it is the property of GameFreak. All I own are the copies of the games.

**X-X-X**

**Pokémon Fear Checklist**

_Electric__Types: Capable of hurting you physically and mentally with their thunder attacks, if not kill you._

_Normal Types: Usually have gimmicks that they could use to deadly advantage. EX: A Ditto that can transform into you and take your place._

_Fighting Types: They could just use their hands and feet and other body parts to break an ordinary person in two._

_Flying Types: They can drop you from above while you're flying them._

_Poison Types: The name says it all. Some can kill you by scent alone._

_Ground Types: Can cause earthquakes or bury you in the earth._

_Rock Types: Even the unevolved ones can crush you._

_Bug: Annoying creepy crawlies that can slowly kill you while being nuisances._

_Ghost: They can possess you and make you do bad things._

_Steel: Same as Rock types, but some can be sharp. So they can crush __**and**__ slice you to death._

_Fire: All pretty much capable of burning you to a crisp._

_Water: Can drown you with water __**on land**__._

_Grass: Can cause multiple status ailments and hurt you with plant life you once thought harmless._

_Psychic: They can use their minds to attack… Enough said._

_Ice: They can freeze you to death and then shatter you to add more hurt to it._

_Dark: Naturally play dirty before they off you. They tend to blend in at night, too, so they're a nocturnal threat._

_Dragon: Pretty much invulnerable to almost everything. And they often grow up to be large. Scary…!_

**X-X-X**

_~Dreaming of Munna~_

_OR!_

_~Plasbad! Team Plasma Appears!~_

"Lillipup, tackle it!" A young boy exclaimed, and his Lillipup ran forward, lowering his head in his charge.

"This has happened before, Oshawott! You know what to do, buddy!" Black told his Oshawott.

"You know it!" Oshawott pulled off the shell on his chest and used it to strike the Lillipup in the head, stopping its attack.

"Now use Water Gun!" The otter Pokémon took a deep breath before spurting out a small stream of water powerful enough to send the dog Pokémon flying back towards its master's feet.

"Ah! Lillipup! Say something!" The boy's Lillipup simply spat up water like a fountain centerpiece. "No…!"

"You did it!" Black exclaimed, picking up Oshawott and spinning around. "You're the best!"

"Without a doubt!" Oshawott said with a smile.

Tiny and I had been standing on the side of the road ever since the battle started. It wasn't exactly that long, though, since the kid only had one Pokémon.

"I can't believe I lost!" The youngster cried, returning his Pokémon to its Poké Ball.

"Don't cry over it! Every experience counts, wins and losses! What matters is that you learn from it and train harder," Black told the boy. "It also helps if you don't have only one Pokémon. Unless there's a referee or something that says what amount we can use, I could use all of my Pokémon and tire your little Lillipup out."

"He's really acting like he knows his stuff, but he's as much of a newbie as that kid…" I mumbled flatly as the boy walked in the direction we came from, probably to get to the Pokémon Center to heal his Lillipup. Black returned Oshawott back into his Poké Ball and walked over to me with a grin. "Should you really be smiling knowing you just crushed a child?"

"I wouldn't say I _crushed_ him… And anyway, Pokémon trainers aren't defined by age!"

"Yeah, yeah. Say that to the legal age limit." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "Can we _please_ get going? The sooner we get to Striaton City, the better."

"What's the rush? Being out on the open road is part of a trainer's life!" I pointed up at the sky, which was filled with gathering gray clouds. Black flinched at the sight of the clouds. "Oh… Well, I guess _that's_ not good."

"Exactly. And _I'm_ the one holding an Electric Type Pokémon who leaks out _electricity_!" I noticed that Black was staring down. "What?"

"Don't look down."

"Why?"

"If you do, you'll scream."

I suddenly flinched and felt my blood run cold. "Wh-why?"

"There's a Pokémon standing right next to you." As soon as my brother said that, I gave a scream and ran behind him, peeking over his shoulder as he pulled out his Pokédex to see what it was. It was a pink Pokémon with a yellow underbelly, large ears, a furry white tail and clear blue eyes. It was easily recognizable, so I don't know why he bothered taking out his Pokédex. "Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. It's a Normal Type and has incredible hearing that's almost like radar! Because of that, it rarely ever appears before people because it runs away at the slightest sound of them."

"Then why the heck did it decide to pop up next to _me_?!" I couldn't help but whine as Tiny took the opportunity to climb on top of Black's shoulder.

"How am _I_ supposed to know? Audino are friendly even the wild, so maybe it likes you." He then looked at me. "Say, why not catch it?"

"What?!"

"You have a list, right? Well, Audino's a Normal type. If you can bond with _it_, you'll get over your fear of Normal types, right? And besides, it's too girly and cute for me to catch…"

"Trainers shouldn't be biased, Black! So just catch it!" I hissed, glaring at my brother despite the pit in my stomach.

"Just suck it up and catch that Audino!"

I gulped and stared at the Audino. I wondered if it could hear my heart beating as fast as a herd of running Zebstrika in a thunderstorm. I picked up Tiny with shaking hands and walked back, almost robotically as I put him down on the ground. He looked up at me in confusion before I pointed at the Audino. "G-go get 'em, Tiny!"

"Mommy?"

"W-well? Attack it! Please? Save me!" I couldn't help speaking in a shrill voice.

"At…tack?" After a few seconds, he seemed to realize what I wanted him to do and ran forward, assuming what I guess was his battle face.

"A-alright. Um… Use Charm it to lower its guard!" I commanded. I was surprised when he actually did what I said. He started waving his arms cutely in the air and gave the Audino big, puppy dog eyes. The Audino approached Tiny and, with a smile that hid its true violent nature…patted the Pichu on the head. It seemed like Charm managed to distract it. "Now zap it with Thunder Shock!" Tiny took a deep breath and concentrated.

"Ch…CHUUUUUU!" It generated an electric current in the form of a single bolt that made the Audino fall back onto its tail, dazed from the shock.

"W-whoa! I'm grateful that hasn't happened to me yet!" _Yet_? I didn't want that to happen to me _at all_!

"What're you doing? Use a Poké Ball on it while it's stunned!" Black told me.

"But I don't _have_ any!"

"Are you serious?! Who goes on a Pokémon journey without _Poké Balls_?" I glared at my twin brother, silently reminding him that my journey came from outta nowhere. Black sighed and reached into his own bag. He pulled out an empty Poké Ball and tossed it to me. "Here. Throw it, quick!"

I did as he said. I threw the Poké ball and watched as it hit the Audino square in the head before turning it into pure energy and sealing it inside of the ball. It shook once…twice…three times…and then the little light in the middle faded away to symbolize that I had caught the Pokémon.

"You know, you really need to be more prepared for this journey. Before we do anything in Striaton, let's go to the Pokémon Center so we can heal our Pokémon and buy you some gear."

"Yeah, yeah," I brushed my brother off as I ran over to Tiny. He was sitting on the ground, exhausted from expending all that energy. I picked him up off the ground and cuddled him, temporarily forgetting my fear of being shocked to congratulate him. "You did great, little guy. You exhausted?"

"Chuuu…" He whined again, pouting. I slipped him inside of my bag so he could rest. Although I told myself that I wouldn't do that again to keep him safe, I figured he could use a break.

I bent over and picked up the Audino's Poké Ball. "Now, what should I name you…?"

**X-X-X**

As soon as we got to Striaton City, it had started to rain. Black and I ran into the Pokémon Center for shelter before the rain got heavier. After healing our Pokémon at the front desk, Black decided to go and buy some potions and Poké Balls for the two of us while I sat on a chair staring at the Audino's Poké Ball. Tiny sat on my lap eating an Oran berry, paying no mind to my frightened expression.

Why was I frightened? Well, I could blame N for that. His little lecture on how it must feel for Pokémon to stay inside of Poké Balls made me worry about how the Audino would feel about being captured. Trying to resist the fear, I pressed the button on the device and watched as the Audino was released in a flash of light before me. I swore I would faint as it looked up at me. It took a while to realize that it wasn't glaring…but staring curiously.

"Um… H-hi?"

The Audino walked closer to me, tall enough to reach past my knees. Its ears twitched before it spoke up. "Your heartbeat sounds off," it spoke, its voice reminding me of a kind, older woman. "Who are you, miss?"

_Miss_? "I'm not a miss. I'm White. And I'm …your owner. I guess."

She tilted her head curiously. "Owner? Oh! You mean you're my trainer! I used to have one of those… Until she set me free today."

I blinked. "She set you free? What for?" I knew there were a bunch of reasons why trainers released their Pokémon—because they were weak, because they couldn't afford it, because they weren't getting along…

"She said she was doing it for my happiness. I tried going back to her, but she kept crying and telling me to leave, so I left. But I didn't know where I was supposed to go." The Audino looked down at the ground sadly. "But when I heard your heartbeat, I thought it was her. I thought she'd come to take me back home."

"Oh. Well… I'm sorry for getting your hopes up like that."

"By the way, your heart started beating very fast when I came closer to you. Are you alright? Do you need medical attention?" The Audino asked, sounding concerned.

"N-no! I'm just…afraid of you…" I squeaked, rubbing the back of my leg with my foot.

"Afraid?" The Audino stepped back, seemingly cautious. "Do I…offend you, Miss White?"

"N-no! Not _offend_ per say! I'm just…afraid of Pokémon! _But_! But I'm working on it. With Tiny! And you, I hope. I mean, unless you'd rather have your old trainer back…"

The pink Pokémon smiled at me and tilted her head. "But she let me go. Even if I went back, she wouldn't want me anyway." The way she said that made me cringe. It sounded so obvious that she was faking. I remembered the things N and that weird guy back in Accumula Town said about freeing Pokémon. This Audino didn't seem to be enjoying her freedom. In fact, she missed her trainer. "Besides, I'm worried about your health."

"…Say what now?"

"All that increased activity in your heart, going back and forth between normal and fast could be a sign of poor health. And I'd be torn to pieces if you fell ill. So consider me yours, Miss White. Would you like to give me a name?"

I frowned. I guess this Pokémon was just polite by nature. "Um… What did your old trainer call you?" For a moment, I saw her eyes reflect sadness before they went back to being cheerful.

"Please don't. When my owner released me, all things relating to her were removed from me. Including the name she gave me. Give me a new name. _Please_." It sounded like the Audino wanted to forget about her trainer as much as the trainer wanted to forget about her. It was kind of sad, really, how it was trying to get rid of the pain with me as a replacement. I'm surprised that I wasn't offended. Or fainting. Guess I pitied it too much to be afraid.

"Well, um…How about Panacea? Does that sound good to you?"

"That's a very nice name, Miss White!"

I gave a small smile, feeling a bit more comfortable around her. "Please, call me White…" I heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see Black standing behind Panacea with both of our bags in his hands.

"Um, White? I don't mean to be rude, but some of the people here are _staring_ at you," he said, pointing his head at the trainers standing at the front counter.

I blushed from embarrassment and hid my face in my hands. It was one thing for a person to speak _to_ their Pokémon, but having conversations _with_ them makes you look like a nutcase. "Great… Now I look like a total weirdo…!" I muttered to myself.

"Mope about your weirdness later. I've got a gym to challenge!" My brother exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. "Let this be known as the day that Black Ketchum defeated the first gym and truly began his journey!"

I recovered from my embarrassment and gave him a flat look. "You don't even know if you're gonna win."

"I will too! I'll show you!"

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later in front of the Striaton Gym, Black was on his knees with all the color drained from his features. "No…way! Why did this have to happen?!"

I rolled my eyes as Tiny laid down on my head, staring at Black's overdramatic breakdown. "Stop whining. It's just closed for the day." And honestly, I didn't blame them. By the time the rain was over, it was already five past six. The sun had already gone down and the streetlights were on. The gym leaders had probably gone home to sleep. "Did you really think gyms were open 24/7 like in the games? This is real life, Black, and gym leaders are _humans_ with _needs_." Black continued to moan. "Would you _please_ pick yourself up off the ground? I don't want to be seen with you in this state."

"Hey!" A familiar voice made both of us look over our shoulders. There was Bianca, running towards us and waving her hand. "Hi, guys!"

"Bianca! Did you just get here?" Black asked with an arched eyebrow, still on the ground.

When she got closer, Bianca shook her head. "Nope. We've been here all day, checking out the sights." She spun around on one foot and held her arms out, eyes seemingly sparkling. "Isn't this great?! You don't see things like this in Nuvema Town! They've even got a fountain with cute topiary Pokémon and a school for trainers!"

"A trainer school, huh? Wait, what did you mean by _'we'_?"

"I see you guys got stuck waiting for the gym to open, too." Looking over Bianca's shoulders, we saw an annoyed Cheren walking towards us. "Did you have to go running off like that? It's dangerous to do that in a big city at night."

"Aw, I'll be okay! I can go anywhere so long as I have my Pokémon at my side!" Bianca then looked at me. "Hey, you've got your Pichu on your head now! I guess you're all better now."

"Uh… Just 1/17ths better than I was in the morning." At those words, my blonde friend stared at me in confusion.

"She means that she's only not afraid around one of the seventeen types of Pokémon. Electric type, right?" Cheren guessed correctly.

"Oh. Well, maybe a battle would help!" The blonde girl reached into her traveling bag and pulled out a Poké ball. "Go Lillipup!" She threw the ball and in a flash of light, a Lillipup appeared, yawning.

"What time is it…?" The puppy yawned. At the sight of me, it began to yip and I felt fear grip me once more.

"We don't have time for a battle, remember? Professor Fennel told us to go to the Dreamyard and get some Dream Mist from there," Cheren told the blonde girl and she returned it to its ball.

"Professor Fennel? Dreamyard? Dream Mist? What're you guys talking about?" I asked.

At that point, Black finally decided to stand up. "You mean that friend Professor Juniper told us about before we left!" When did _that_ happen? Oh. Probably while I was unconscious. "Is that what she needed us for? To get this _'Dream Mist'_?"

"But what's Dream Mist?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

"According to Professor Fennel, Dream Mist is given off by the Pokémon Munna and Musharna. She needs it to study the dreams of Pokémon," Cheren explained.

"Their dreams?" A part of me didn't want to know what sort of things Pokémon dreamed about. But, as expected…

"Wow! I wonder what Pokémon dream about?" …Black was thrilled by the idea.

"If what she said was true, you can use Dream Mist to see into _anyone's_ dreams," Cheren added.

"S-seriously? Too many Psychic type Pokémon can do that on their own, and now you're saying that _people_ can probably do it with this stuff…?" I spoke out loud.

"It isn't as if it's an easy thing to do. You need to have specific equipment, like what Professor Fennel has, in order to make it work.

"Hey, can we come with you guys? I wanna catch a Munna for myself!" Said Black.

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah. A Munna would be a good addition to my team since the ones I already have are mainly physical fighters. And if _you_ caught one, you'd get over your fear of Psychic types!"

"Uh… _No_." I think I'll wait for a Pokémon that _can't_ show off my dreams in public!

"Whatever happened to trying to overcome your fears?"

"I'll overcome my fears with a _different_ Pokémon!"

Bianca's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! I have an idea!" She exclaimed as she raised her hand. "Why don't we see who can catch a Munna first? Splitting up would be the fastest way to get some Dream Mist, I think."

"Count me out. I'm not looking for a Munna. It'd just be a waste of time and Poké Balls," said Cheren.

"You're just afraid I'll beat you and find one first," Black said with a grin. As expected, the dark-haired boy flinched and gave my brother a sharp-eyed look.

"I bet _I_ can find one first."

"You're on!"

"Well count me out. I want nothing to do with this," I told the three of them, folding my arms across my chest.

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later, I found myself in the ruins of a building that looked like it exploded, walking through tall grass with Bianca. Black and Cheren had gone separate ways, each claiming that he'd find a Munna first.

"How did I get here? Seriously, it's like you three can pull me into these situations I want nothing to do with without me even knowing!" I complained for what felt like the hundredth time since coming to the Dreamyard.

At least Bianca wasn't complaining about _my_ complaining like Black or Cheren would. But then again, maybe she was just putting more effort into finding a Munna. She always seemed to do that whenever she focused on something—sometimes ridiculously so.

The blonde girl suddenly stopped walking and I bumped into her. Tiny almost fell off of my head, but clung on for dear life. "Oh? I think I hear something!"

"Could it be the dreaded Munna?"

"Now that's not nice! Calling it _'dreaded'_…" Bianca stilled once more. "There it is again!" She pointed over to a wall that had a hole in it. "It's coming from behind there…" She tiptoed over to the wall and I, being her temporary sidekick, followed. We heard what sounded like a man and woman grunting. Bianca's face turned red and she hid her face in her hands. "Ohhh, we're eavesdropping on a couple on a date…!"

"P…please…stop…!" I froze at the sound of a third voice. What kind of freaky thing were those people _doing_?!

"White! Did you hear that? It sounded like a Munna!" Bianca said with a smile. "But…it came from behind the wall. Oh dear… I hope we don't have to interrupt that couple and their…_whatever_."

Munna? Was the third voice the Munna? But…it sounded like it was in pain… Curious, I peered through the hole, ignoring Bianca's complaints of being a pervert. I looked around until I noticed a man and woman dressed in knight getups. Wait. They seemed familiar.

"Come _on_! Make some Dream Mist!" The man grunted as he and the woman continued to kick something on the ground. I looked down and noticed that they were kicking a small pink Pokémon with a purple floral pattern. Could that have been a Munna?

"Please…stop…! I'll make Dream Mist…! Just stop…kicking me…!" The Pokémon whimpered with tears welling up in its big red eyes.

"…Bianca. Did you hear a Munna just now?" I asked, my hands subconsciously balling up into fists.

"Yeah… Why?" I pressed my finger up to my lips and pointed at the hole. Bianca looked inside and gasped at what she saw. The blonde girl's eyes began to water, but the look in them was one of anger instead of fear. She pulled down her hat before she ran around the wall to confront the Plasma members. "STOP! Don't you _dare_ hurt that Pokémon!" She shouted as I caught up to her.

"What the—! Oh, it's just a pair of kids," the woman knight said with a look of irritation. "Look, you two! We are here for the sake of Team Plasma!"

I blinked. "Team Plasma? The guys who were talking about that Pokémon liberation stuff?"

"That's right! With the aid of this Munna and its Dream Mist, we'll be able to convince trainers all over Unova to release their Pokémon by manipulating their dreams!"

"Lemme get this straight: on the road to helping out Pokémon, you're going to kick a defenseless little Pokémon so it can give you something to _force_ people to release their Pokémon?" I asked as I bent over and picked up a rock from the ground. I suddenly threw it and it hit the man in the face. I was aiming for the woman's smirking face, but my aim was off. I ignored it and continued, "You guys are a bunch of _hypocrites_! I don't care if you wanna liberate Pokémon! If you're gonna hurt the wild ones in the process, how can you say you're in the right?!"

The male Plasma held onto the bruise on his forehead and glared at me. "You little…! You don't know who you're messing with! We fight for the sake of Pokémon!"

"If you're fighting for Pokémon, why do you hurt them?" Bianca asked, looking down at the injured Munna. "That poor Munna might give you Dream Mist if you were nicer to it… You didn't have to hurt it!"

"Isn't it obvious? It's a Psychic type. It could probably tell that these _creeps_ weren't the sort of people it should give Dream Mist to!" I was feeling empowered now. I couldn't remember the last time I felt so…bold. So strong. I wasn't even afraid of the Munna—I was more concerned for its wellbeing.

"Little kids should learn to stay out of grownups' business!" The woman shouted as she pulled out a Poké Ball. When she threw it, it released a dark purple feline with pink around its turquoise eyes—a Purrloin. The man did the same, only he sent out a brown rodent-like Pokémon that had large red eyes and chubby cheeks—a Patrat. Bianca immediately pulled out her Pokédex to identify them.

"The purple one's a Purrloin. It's a Dark type. The other's a Patrat, a Normal type." Bianca put her Pokédex back into her bag and then pulled out a Poké Ball. "We can take 'em together, White! Go, Tepig!" She threw the ball and I watched as it released an orange and black piglet, which began to bounce up and down.

"What're we doing? What're we doing?" The Tepig noticed Team Plasma and calmed down. "Ohhh… We're in a fight. I'm raring to go then!" The Tepig proclaimed, rubbing his hoof against the dirt anxiously.

I took a breath. I didn't want Tiny going up against the Pokémon of creeps who were dirty enough to kick a Munna. Not to mention that Purrloin looked like it could eat him up whole. So instead, I pulled out Panacea's Poké Ball and released her next to Bianca's Tepig.

"I am prepared for battle, Miss White!"

"You're gonna pay for what you did, girl!" The male Plasma goon shouted. "Patrat, Leer and Bite!"

"Roger!" The Patrat's eyes seemed to glow for a moment as it stared at Panacea. The Audino flinched, turned off by the rodent's stare, and in the brief moment it jumped forward and bit Panacea on the arm.

"Punch it off with Pound!" I ordered Panacea. She glared down at the Patrat and gave it a bop on the head hard enough to make it let go of her. "Give it a black eye!"

"Black…eye?" Panacea repeated, tilting her head in confusion.

"Pound it in the eye so it can be distracted!"

"Ohhhh! Okay!" The Audino balled up a fist and punched the Patrat in the eye several times, the brown rodent's jaws clamping down deeper on her every few seconds. Panacea continued pounding away at the Patrat's head until one final blow knocked it out. Panacea fell to the ground, holding onto her injured arm.

"PLASMAAAA! I can't believe I lost to a girl!" The male grunt exclaimed as he returned his Patrat into its Poké Ball. "Maybe there's a reason why we're grunts still…"

"Hmph! Whatever! We'll just catch the Munna and get its Dream Mist elsewhere!" The female Plasma grunt said as she returned her smoking Purrloin.

"No! I won't let you hurt it anymore!" Bianca pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it at the Munna. In a flash of light, it was caught in the ball and stopped shaking after a few seconds. She immediately ran forward and picked up the Poké Ball. "It's okay, Munna… They won't be able to catch you like this!"

The Plasma grunts glared at us. "Why you little…! Do you know how long it took us just to find one Munna? If you know what's good for it, you'll hand over that Munna to us!"

"No!"

"You _fools_." The Plasma creeps suddenly froze and turned around to see Ghetsis standing behind them. The robed man had on a frightening expression as he stared at them "You have failed in your mission. What a shame. Return to the base immediately, least you incur a _harsher _punishment than the one awaiting you…"

The male grunt looked at the female, sweating. "It's Sage Ghetsis…!"

"He sounds _serious_…!" The female spoke. "Do I want to know how he got here so fast?"

"Who cares?! Let's go before we get in more trouble! Consider yourselves lucky, you brats!" The Plasma Grunt exclaimed before they both ran past the two of us in fear of Ghetsis.

As soon as they were gone, Ghetsis faded away like a mirage, and in his place was a floating Pokémon that looked just like Munna, but larger and with short trunk.

"Ohhhh…! Is that…!" Bianca exclaimed, holding out her Pokédex. She gave a nod. "White, it's a Musharna! Professor Fennel said it's the evolved form of Munna, so it can _also_ make Dream Mist! But it evolves in a special way, so seeing one in the wild's a rare event! And we're looking at one _right now_!"

"Musharna… Why did it do that illusion?" I mumbled. The large pink Pokémon remained silent as it stared at us. The bravery and boldness I felt earlier had worn off and I was back to cowering behind Bianca. "Wh-why is it looking at us like that? It's not gonna try and attack us, is it?" The Musharna stared at us for a while longer before it floated away, disappearing into the tall grass. "…Could it…have been trying to _help_ us?"

"No…" Bianca looked down at the Poké Ball in her hands. "I think it was trying to help the Munna." She stared at the ball until she opened it and the Munna appeared in front of her in a flash of light. It floated away from her, still wary after its experience with Team Plasma.

"D-don't hurt me…!" It whimpered. It flinched visibly, still injured because of those jerks.

"I won't hurt you, little Munna! I…only want to make you feel better." Bianca reached into her bag and pulled out a spray bottle of potion. She approached the Munna, knelt down next to it, and began to spray its injuries until they healed. "See? Doesn't that feel better?" She said with a smile.

"Th…thank you…"

"I'm glad you're okay. You should _never_ pick on someone to get something from them—and that includes Pokémon, too!"

"…Y'know, Bianca's nothing like those creeps that tried to hurt you. She's too nice to hurt _anyone_, human or Pokémon," I said with a nervous smile. "M-me either, by the way. So, even if you don't give us any Dream Mist, we wouldn't hurt you like they did." I flinched as the Munna glanced in my direction, but relaxed when it turned its attention back to Bianca.

It lightly nudged the Poké Ball in Bianca's hand. Her eyes brightened. "Does this mean you want me to be your trainer?" It gave what could come off as a nod for its kind. "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am! White! I have a Munna! A Munna of my very own!"

I sighed. "That's nice, Bianca…" I looked down at Panacea and smiled. "You did great. But you have to go back inside, okay?" She nodded without a word before she returned into my Poké Ball in a flash of light. I picked Tiny up off my head and noticed that he was starting to nod off. "Feeling sleepy? Well, I don't blame you. It's been a crazy day, huh? And this is just the beginning…"

Tiny yawned before snuggling up to my chest. "Mommy…"

"G'night, little guy. Pleasant dreams…" I mumbled while looking up at the sky. I forgot all the anger I held towards Team Plasma and their methods towards Pokémon liberation. For the moment, all I cared about was getting the Dream Mist back to Fennel and hitting the hay.

**X-X-X**

"Ahhh~! Thank you all so much for helping me!" Professor Fennel swooned with delight once we returned to her apartment/lab. It was my first time meeting the professor, but for some reason, I wasn't surprised to see that she was a young woman—Bianca _did_ say that she was a friend of Professor Juniper's from college. She had long dark hair with a hairpin in it like a Munna's flower pattern and wore a lab coat with black frame glasses and sensible shoes. Her reaction, though, was not what I expected. Unlike Professor Juniper, who at least tried to show _some_ professionalism, Professor Fennel squealed like a giddy schoolgirl at the sight of the Munna in Bianca's arms.

"It's a good thing Bianca actually _caught_ a Munna. None of us really know how to extract Dream Mist from it anyway," said Black.

"Bianca tried to do it, all it did was put her to sleep," Cheren added.

"Ah, true. Without the proper equipment, the mist would only make you fall asleep," Fennel explained. "I probably should've told you that before I sent you off like that, huh?"

"_Probably_?! They use that stuff so they can _eat dreams_! That's the sort of thing that leaves a person psychologically _scarred_!" I pointed out.

"Don't say things like that, White! Munna would _never_ harm someone that badly even if she _was_ hungry! And that one Musharna used it to help us!" said Bianca.

"No, no, your friend is right. The situation had a chance of being dangerous to your mental health, and I'm sorry for that," Fennel apologized, seeming like an actual professor now. "Now I feel as if I should give you something in exchange for the risk."

"Oh, you don't have to give us anything!" Black spoke up. "We did this for Professor Juniper after all. Though, uh…what exactly are you gonna do with that stuff? Aren't there easier ways of putting people to sleep?"

"Oh, it's not for putting people to sleep! Well, it _is_, but that's not what I'm going to use it for. Pokémon professors perform research in different fields. My field is Pokémon oneirology, but I also study trainers like yourselves."

"Oni-what now?"

"Dreams. She studies dreams and trainers… So I guess you're into psychology or something?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

Professor Fennel smiled and nodded. "You could say that. Dream Mist has the power to make dreams into reality. With it, I can better observe the dreaming process of sleeping Pokémon. It might lead to a major breakthrough in the study of dreams! So if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know! I owe you one!"

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later, the four of us were walking through the streets of Striaton City towards the Pokémon Center.

"This is gonna be weird, spending the night in a Pokémon Center," said Bianca. "I hope I'll be able to fall asleep."

"Well, White was able to sleep just fine this afternoon," Black said as he placed his hands behind his head.

Cheren shot my brother a look. "Because she _fainted_. Are you insinuating that Bianca should faint to get to sleep as well?"

"No, I wasn't!"

"Maybe I could use Munna to help me get to sleep? Would she mind doing that for me?" Bianca seemed to be thinking out loud.

I cringed at the thought of letting a Psychic type Pokémon near me while I slept. Actually, I wouldn't be able to sleep if that actually happened. "I don't think that's such a good idea"

"It might become addicting," said Cheren, "like taking sleeping medicine. You wouldn't be able to go to sleep without Munna's help, even if you wanted to."

"R-really? Well, I guess that should be expected." Bianca suddenly stopped walking. "I just thought something: we might not see each other for a long time."

The rest of us stare at Bianca in confusion. "What brought _this_ up all of a sudden?"

"Just a thought. Unova's a big region, y'know. We might wind up going to different places, far away from each other. We won't be able to hang out like this anymore…"

"So? It happens to everyone. That's just a part of life," Cheren answered a _bit_ too bluntly, because Bianca started to look down sadly.

Black, however, was quick to try and fix the situation, "What he _means_ is that even if we aren't together, we can still talk to each other with our Xtransceivers! So it's not like we're gonna stop seeing each other."

"Yeah, I know. But it won't be the same… So let's promise that if we're in the same place, we'll get together and hang out like old times!" The blonde girl insisted

"She makes it sound like it's been _years_ since we've seen each other, not hours," the dark-haired boy mumbled.

"You, too, White! Even if you faint, you have to come and spend time with us!" I'm not sure if it's possible for an unconscious person to move of their own free will, Bianca. "So it's settled! Best friends for life!" She exclaimed before giving Black a high-five.

Cheren looked at me. "Doesn't take much to make them happy, does it?"

"Yeah. I kinda envy that."

"Are you guys, like, insulting us for being happy? That's so wrong!" Bianca said with a huff.

"Don't pay attention to them, Bianca. They're just a pair of Gloomy Goomies," Black said as he smiled.

"_Gloomy_?!" I snapped back.

"Yeah. I don't know anyone who can say as many depressing things as you do, little sister."

"I say _logical_ things! And I am _not_ the younger twin! Now apologize!" Instead of apologizing, Black just ran past me. "Black! Get back here, you brat!" I shouted as I ran past him with Cheren and Bianca trailing behind me.

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**A panacea is a cure-all remedy, named for the goddess of universal remedy in Greek mythology. If you play video games like RPGs (like I do), you'll recognize it as an item that usually heals and recovers statuses and the like.**

**X-X-X**

**Review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon series. I only own this fic._

**X-X-X**

_~A Meal and a Battle~_

_OR!_

_~VS Triple Trouble!~_

The following morning in the Pokémon Center started the way mornings at home did: with Black bugging me before I could even eat.

"Come on! You know you want to~!" He tried to tempt me. I threw my pillow at him in anger. "But it's really fun!" I then threw my bag at him, but he fell over and dodged. He then poked his head up in front of the bed I had been sleeping on. "It could help you bond with your Pokémon more than just talking to them." I stared at him before I unplugged the lamp on the desk and held it over my head, growling. He gave a shriek before ducking down behind the bed.

"For the umpteenth time, _I'm not gonna challenge a gym_!" I shouted. I was going to throw it until Panacea spoke up from another bed with Tiny.

"Miss White, if you throw that, you're going to get in trouble with the staff."

After I stood in that pose for a few seconds, I put the lamp down and plugged it back into the wall. I took a deep breath before saying, "There's just no point! I don't wanna be champion of the Pokémon like you and Cheren. I'm only on this journey to get better." Not to mention that Panacea wasn't much of a fighter and Tiny was still just a baby that shocked himself. A battle against a skilled Gym Leader would probably be too much for them.

"But trainers and Pokémon bond during battle! If you could see the look on Oshawott's face whenever he wins a battle! If you could've seen the shine in Pidove's eyes when she defeated a wild Purrloin last night! Through battling other trainers, Pokémon and trainer grow closer and trust one another more! And it makes them stronger for obstacles to come!" Black spoke passionately.

"Panacea and Tiny already trust me!"

"Maybe, but what makes you think any other Pokémon you catch in the future will?"

We started to glare at each other from across the room. After a few seconds of silence, Panacea spoke up again, "You know, Miss White, I've heard about Gym Leaders on TV. They have lots of different types of Pokémon. If you fought a Gym Leader specializing in a type, then wouldn't you get better at facing one of that type in the wild?"

"…You just _had_ to make sense, didn't you?" I grumbled, looking at the Audino.

"What? What'd she say?" Black asked, but I ignored him.

"You don't _really_ wanna fight a Gym Leader, do you? I mean…they've fought against dozens, maybe hundreds of trainers, probably, and their team could be a lot stronger than you! For all you know, you'd be massacred!"

"We'll never know unless we try. Anything to get better, right, Miss White?"

After a few moments of shaking, I slumped over and said, "Fine, you win." I was saying it to both Panacea _and _Black, and they both smiled in triumph.

"I knew you'd see the light!" My brother exclaimed. "I'm gonna go get dressed, and then we can go and get breakfast, and _then_ go to the Striaton Gym!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just put on some pants…" I said, glaring at his heart-embroidered boxers.

**X-X-X**

A short while later, we were standing in front of the doors of the Striaton City Gym. I gulped and held Tiny closer to me. Black straightened up his hat and grinned.

"Going in?" He asked me. "You should go in first, White. I mean, better to get it over with now than wait here dreading it."

"…You just wanna use me to analyze the Gym Leader's moves, don't you?" I asked flatly.

Black flinched at my accusation. "O-of course not! I was just being courteous! I mean, if you think you need to watch me to see how to do deal with a gym battle—" I stomped my foot, silencing him.

"I don't need someone to hold my hand through a battle! I did it once!"

"Against a wild Pokémon, yeah. But a battle against a trainer is different. Trainers can utilize strategies for their Pokémon to use in battle. If you honestly don't think you're ready, you don't have to."

"What? First you were all gung-ho to have me fight, and now you _aren't_? I'll show you how skilled I am!" …Me and my big mouth. I was so fired up that I shoved the doors of the gym open. "Hey! I'm here to fight the Gym—Ah!" I was suddenly grabbed by several hands and pulled further inside. I blinked and realized that I was somehow now sitting at a table. "…Huh?"

"White! Are you…okay?" Black trailed off after running inside. He gave a low whistle upon realizing what had happened.

We were in a restaurant. And even worse, there were people staring at us from their tables. I felt my cheeks turn bright red. How embarrassing!

"Good morning, miss!" A voice spoke. I looked to my side and saw a boy with short green hair standing left of my seat. "What would you like to eat this morning?"

"Today's breakfast meal special is buttered crumpets with bacon and eggs, boiled or scrambled," said a boy with wild-looking red hair who was standing right of my seat.

"Or perhaps you would like to order something else. If that is the case, here is a menu," said a boy with blue hair that I hadn't noticed standing in front of me on the opposite side of the table, holding out a menu.

"Uh…"

"Ooh! Don't mind if we do," said Black, sitting down next to me. I gave him a look and in response, he shrugged. "What?"

"Excellent. Would you like something to drink while you wait?" The blue-haired waiter—at least, I assumed he was a waiter–asked.

"I'll have…some orange juice."

"And you, miss?"

"…Water. With ice," I spoke slowly. As soon as the waiters left, I grabbed Black by the collar of his jacket and began to shake him violently. "Don't mind if we do?! We're on a schedule here, you know!"

"Hey, breakfast is the most important part of the day."

"You already _had_ breakfast!"

My brother shrugged and opened the menu. "Consider it brunch, then."

**X-X-X**

For the following half-hour, we enjoyed a moment of fine dining that wasn't available in Nuvema Town. Black and I ate our so-called _'brunch'_ while our Pokémon ate what was supposedly gourmet Pokémon food—with Tiny charming me into giving him my boiled egg when he was done. Despite the deliciousness of it all, each bite of a crumpet or piece of bacon made me dread the upcoming bill. But I reminded myself that this was all Black's idea, so _he_ would be the one to pay for all of this. _Literally_.

"Have you finished your meal?" The green-haired boy asked as he came over to our table.

"Yeah," Black and I both spoke at the same time with a tone of contentment.

"And how did you find it? Good?"

"Good? It was _great_!" Black exclaimed. His reaction brought a smile to the green-haired boy's face. "I wish we could eat like this _all_ the time… It's just so much better than the stuff at the Pokémon Center!"

"Maybe so, but it's also more _costly_," I pointed out. "By the way, you're paying for all of this."

"What?! Hey, you ate, too! At least chip in for what you ate!" My brother dug into his pants and pulled out a simple wallet. He looked at the waiter. "Um, excuse me, but where's the bill?"

"You'll receive it after we've had our battle." We both stared at him in confusion as he continued, "You two _are_ trainers who came to challenge the Striaton Gym, right? Well…" He snapped his fingers and all the lights in the restaurant suddenly went out. A trio of spotlights shone down in the middle of the restaurant where the three green, red and blue-haired waiters stood. "Come face the Gym Leaders!"

I stared, dumbfounded. "….Wait a second! I thought this was a _restaurant, _not a _Pokémon Gym_! And how can they be Gym Leaders when they're no older than _us_?!"

"Why are you so surprised about _that_? If trainers can come in all shapes and sizes, then so can Gym Leaders," Black explained. "If anything, you should be surprised that there are three of them instead of one."

"Since Striaton City is home to one of the finest Pokémon schools in Unova, we have three Gym Leaders in order to test trainers based on their starting Pokémon," said the blue-haired boy.

The red-haired boy held out a Poké Ball and grinned like a madman. "I'm Chili, and I light things up with Fire type!"

The blue-haired boy pulled out a Poké Ball and simply smirked. "I am Cress, and I drown my competition with Water type."

The green-haired boy pulled out a Poké Ball, looking more sheepish than the other two as he said, "And I'm Cilan. I…just like Grass types."

"And as we said, depending on the starting Pokémon you started with, you get to face one of us. Those who start with Snivy face Chili. Those who start with Tepig face me. And those who start with Oshawott face Cilan," Cress explained.

"Wow. That's quite a system, but…" I held up Tiny. "I didn't receive a Pokémon from Professor Juniper. I just have this Pichu."

The trio of Gym Leaders stared until they turned their backs to us and huddled up, whispering things to each other that we could still hear:

"What the heck is _that_ Pokémon?!"

"It's a Pichu. An Electric type, I believe."

"_Electric_ type?! Is that allowed?"

"There's nothing saying a person can't start a journey with a Pokémon that _isn't_ one of the three starters. Though it _is_ a shock—no pun intended."

"There are no Electric types normally found near here, and even the ones that _have_ challenged us from farther places never had an Electric type for a starter…"

"Truly a first for us."

"See? I _knew_ we should have more siblings so this gym would be tougher!"

"Please ask Mother that, Chili. I'd _love_ to see her reaction to such a request…"

After that, their next words were spoken too low to be heard. When they were done, the three Gym Leaders turned around to face us. "Very well then. We'll accept an Electric type. But first, what Pokémon did _you_ start with?" Cress asked Black.

"An Oshawott."

"A Water type. Very well then. Who amongst you would like to go first?"

"Me!" Black exclaimed energetically at the same time I pointed at him.

The trio then held their hands up in the air and snapped their fingers in what _had_ to be practiced synchronization. A curtain in the far back of the gym suddenly opened, revealing an area that was separate from the restaurant. Stairs led down into a rectangular arena with an empty Poké Ball emblem in the center. The Gym Leaders began to walk, gesturing for us to follow them into the arena. Within a few minutes, Black and I were standing on one end of the arena, Cilan stood at the other end, and Chili and Cress stood on the sidelines.

"The rules are simple: a one-on-one Pokémon battle. The only requirement is that you use the Pokémon you began your path as a trainer with," the green-haired Gym Leader explained. "Now come out, Pansage!" He held out his Poké Ball and released his Pokémon. It was a small, green, monkey-like creature with a tuft of pair on its head that looked like a Brussel sprout and a wide smile on its face.

Unexpectedly, Black already had his Pokédex out to scan it. "Let's see… Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. It dwells deep in forests. The leaves on its head are known to relieve stress and weariness, and it shares them with other Pokémon. It's a Grass type, so he's got the type advantage… But that doesn't mean they're gonna win!" Oshawott was released from his Poké Ball, wearing a white headband with foreign symbols written on it in red.

"…Black. What is your Pokémon wearing?"

"A good luck headband! The symbols stand for victory!" My brother proclaimed with an air of confidence as he held up two fingers in a V sign. Wait, since _when_ could he read Japanese?

Oshawott pulled his shell off of his belly and held it up in the air, a fire burning in his eyes. "We will be victorious on our first step to the Pokémon League!" Either this was just how the Water type was, or Black's personality had managed to rub off on him _very quickly_.

"ALRIGHT!" Chili shouted loudly, probably to catch the attention of the restaurant goers. "This match will be between Gym Leader Cilan and challenger…um… What's your name again?"

"Black Ketchum."

"Right, right. Challenger Black Ketchum! Ready…? Begin!"

"Pansage, start with a Work Up!" Cilan commanded. His Pansage began pumping its arms in the air, almost as if it were exercising. Its body soon became enveloped in an orange aura and its previously kind eyes became narrowed with determination. "Now use Vine Whip!" With a shout, a pair of thick vines suddenly came out of the monkey Pokémon's grassy hair.

"Dodge and parry, Oshawott!" Black exclaimed. Oshawott held his shell out in front of him as he began to defend himself from the lashing vines. Although he did knock them back quite a bit of times, the Water type couldn't dodge quickly enough to avoid being slapped about by vines. Eventually, they wrapped around Oshawott's body and raised him up into the air. The vines seemed to tighten their grip, as Oshawott gave out a cry of pain. I saw Black tense up before he issued his next command, "Use Water Gun! Aim for the eyes!"

Oshawott struggled in the grip of Pansage's vines before he took a deep breath and sprayed a stream of water from his mouth that hit the Grass type in the face. Whether or not the attack was damaging didn't matter, because it was enough to make the Pansage drop Oshawott and retract its vines. "Ugh…! That was _not_ fun!"

Pansage shook its head and spat out some water. "Well, that was refreshing! Thank you!" It spoke in an all too cheerful voice.

"You won't be thanking me in a little while! …I hope. Black?" The otter Pokémon called back hopefully.

The one who spoke instead was Cilan. "Now use Lick!"

"What'd he say?!" Oshawott cried out before Pansage jumped forward and closed the distance between them quickly. With ease, the green monkey pounced onto his opponent and gave him a lick on the face. If it was possible for an Oshawott, I'm pretty sure all the color would've drained from his face. After seconds of shocked silence, Oshawott exploded. "YUUUUUUUUCK!" He headbutted the Pansage in the face several times before it finally rolled off of him. He started to spit and tried spraying water up into the air and waiting for the resulting downpour to wash the spit off.

Cilan wore a worried expression. "Oh, no! Pansage, are you alright?!"

"I've got a headache…and I think I bit my tongue…!" His Pokémon moaned, sitting on the ground and holding his hands over his mouth.

"Did Oshawott just learn Headbutt or something?" Black asked, confused.

"I think that was just a normal reaction to a tongue in the face," I answered dully.

"Well, whatever it was, it looks like it really hurt Pansage! Now's our chance to get on the offensive! Oshawott, get its attention with Tail Whip!"

Oshawott suddenly turned around and began shaking his tail in a taunting, but cute manner. "Wott, wott, Osha-woooott~!" His opponent seemed to forget about all his injuries in an instant and got up to walk towards the Water type.

"No, Pansage, don't!" Cilan cried out in vain. His Pokémon didn't listen to him and instead continued to gape in awe of his opponent's tail, until…

"ATTACK!" Oshawott immediately spun around, brandishing his shell. With a cry, he struck Pansage with the flat side of the shell, putting it in a daze. "Now Tackle!" Jumping back to gain some distance Oshawott charged at Pansage headfirst. On impact, the monkey Pokémon went flying back and landed on the ground. Pansage tried to sit up, but fell back down with a groan.

"The victory goes to Black!" Chili proclaimed, pointing in Black's direction. Behind us, a light applause came from the restaurant patrons. Black and Oshawott both blushed and smiled like idiots as the Gym Leaders approached them.

"Congratulations to both of you! You've earned this badge!" Cilan handed something over to Black, which made his stupid smile grow wider. The green-haired Gym Leader then looked my way. "You wanted a battle as well, right?"

"We request that you come back later. Cilan needs to heal his Pokémon first before you can have your match," said Cress.

I froze in place. That's right: I _did_ request to have a battle with these guys, didn't I? But now I didn't feel so up to it. "A-actually, I changed my mind. I won't be challenging you today. So sorry, goodbye," I spoke quickly before I spun on my heel and left the gym/restaurant before I had to say more.

**X-X-X**

"White! _White_! Will you stop running away from me?"

"I'm not running away, I'm walking towards the way out of town."

"You know what I mean! Now just stop!" Black grabbed my arm and stopped me from moving forward. I came to realize that we were in an unfamiliar part of Striaton—not that there was much of the town that was familiar to me. I sighed, anticipating how he was going to react. "What was the deal at the gym about not challenging them today? I thought we all agreed that we would _both_ challenge the gym. Or did you just agree so I'd stop bugging you?"

"Yes." Black frowned and I frowned back. "I'll agree with you that battling other trainers is _one_ way of getting along with your Pokémon. But that doesn't mean I have to go challenging people as skilled as _Gym Leaders_—especially when there are hundreds—no, _thousands_ of trainers in the world for every _one_ Gym Leader! So I don't have to do what _you_ want me to do, Black."

"…You're just a chicken."

I narrowed my eyes. "I have common sense. In a fight between a newborn Pichu with a novice trainer and a skilled Gym Leader with a well-trained Pansage, who is more likely to win? It's pretty obvious that I wouldn't win."

"Then _train_ him! It's the only way he's gonna get stronger!" Without waiting for me to agree or refuse, my brother grabbed my hand and started to drag me along with him. "So all we have to do is find trainers for you to battle against."

"And where am I gonna find trainers with weak enough Pokémon, Mr. Genius?"

"You'll see!"

**X-X-X**

Minutes later, we arrived outside of town in the Dream Yard. In the daytime, I could better make out the ruined old buildings, and unfortunately, the figures of Pokémon passing through the tall grass. The place seemed even more intimidating in the day than it did at night. Black pulled me further inside, towards a hunk of crumbling concrete that had been overgrown with grass. He climbed up onto it and began to look around. "Let's see… There's gotta be someone around here… There were a bunch of trainers here last night, talking about dream mist and psychic auras or something…"

"Why on earth would _anyone_ want to come out here? There's nothing but a bunch of ruins," I muttered under my breath as I kicked away a can next to my foot. Tiny crawled out of my bag and jumped after the can. He started to push it around himself, either out of curiosity or entertainment. He was young enough to be easily entertained, I guess.

"I see somebody!" Black suddenly exclaimed, getting my attention. "I— No, wait. That's a tree. At least I think it's a tree."

I tensed as I heard rustling noises in the grass. Overhead, Pidove and Tranquill flew out of the taller abandoned buildings. "Black, let's just go! I'd rather challenge someone coming out of the Pokémon Center than stick around here another moment!"

"Now that's just cheap, White." Better cheap than dead and food for wild Pokémon!

"PIIIIIII! MOOOOOMMYYYYYY!" Came Tiny's cry. I looked down and froze. The Pichu was pinned down by a Purrloin.

"B-b-black! Help!" I squeaked.

His help came in a most unwanted form as he got out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. "Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Dark type. They use their deceptive cute act to steal people's valuables and use it again to make their victims forgive them."

"That's not what I meant! I meant get that thing off of him!"

Black frowned. "Nope."

I felt my heart sink. "What?!"

"You want to chase that thing away, then have Tiny do it."

"Now's not the time for this! It's trying to _eat_ him!" Black remained adamant about his decision, folding his arms and remaining silent. The Purrloin raised a paw in the air and made its claws visible.

Without waiting for a command from me, Tiny reacted by unleashing a jolt of electricity at the cat Pokémon. The wild Purrloin yowled in pain before it jumped off of Tiny. The cat Pokémon shook its head as it recovered from the attack. It growled, seemingly preparing to attack again. Tiny's cheek crackled with electricity. Ch-ch-ch-CHUUUUUU!" He unleashed a jolt of electricity just as something larger ran in front of the Purrloin. The Purrloin ran off as the figure took the attack and dropped to the ground.

"What the heck is _THAT_?!" I screamed, stumbling back into Black and then pushing him in front of me for protection.

Black cautiously approached the smoking figure and rolled them over. "…Oh, boy. It's a person. I think we're in trouble." As if on cue, a tiny black figure jumped out of the grass and tackled Black to the ground. My natural reaction was to scream and faint.

**X-X-X**

As I regained consciousness, I found myself on my back, staring up at the sky. I wished I were back home, doing what I did every day instead of enduring _this_ chaos—all for the sake _'getting well'_. I sat up to see Black, sitting on a rock next to another person with a Zorua on their lap. Wait a minute… "You again?"

The guy named N looked at me. "Oh. You're awake." He didn't really sound thrilled to see me. Then again I was pretty neutral to seeing him as well, as especially with how our last meeting ended.

"Hey, White, this guy N says he knows you. Is that true?" Black asked, looking a bit uncomfortable. 

"Yeah. We met in Accumula Town. You know: when you abandoned me to go out looking for Pokémon?"

"I did _not_ abandon you. It's just hard to guess how long you'll conk out for. You could've woken up by the time it was nightfall!" That didn't mean you could go off and leave me alone in a strange town. "We've, er, been having a chat while waiting for you to wake up."

"By _'chat'_, he means _'being a jerk'_!" Oshawott snapped. I hadn't noticed that he and Pidove were out of their Poké Balls and sitting next to Tiny on the ground. "That guy had the nerve to suggest we're unhappy with Black!"

N looked down at the Pokémon. "I was merely asking if you wouldn't be happier back in the wild instead of being forced to fight in battles."

"I'm _not_ forced! Besides, I _need_ to fight other Pokémon! How else am I gonna hone my style?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to go back to the wild?" That question was aimed at Pidove.

The bird Pokémon shrugged, then spoke in a feminine voice, "I like him. He's trustworthy."

"Um, I'm right here, you know," Black spoke up. "I'll encourage my Pokémon to fight, but if they don't wanna, I won't make 'em."

N stood, Zorua jumping out of his lap as he did. "You don't understand. Trainers don't treat Pokémon kindly. They treat them like things to collect, force them to fight for the sake of their own selfish desires, and do not care if they are hurt in the process!" He wasn't talking to Black, but to his Pokémon.

"Hey, don't lump my brother into that category!" I snapped. "Or me, either! Not all trainers think Pokémon are tools or playthings to do with as we see fit. In fact, I think they're the most frightening and dangerous things in the world and anyone who thinks they can mess with one and _live_ is an idiot!"

"I don't know if I should feel insulted or complimented by that," said Pidove.

"I think both," said Oshawott.

Black stood up and held me back. "Um, White _means_ to say that not every trainer acts like that. I might want to beat the Unova League, but I wouldn't hurt my Pokémon to achieve it. And no matter what White says about Pokémon being frightening or dangerous, I know she loves them all deep down. Very, very _very_ deep down."

"So you say, but such beliefs are often trainers lying to themselves and others to justify their actions," N stated.

I sighed, getting tired of this conversation really quick. "Alright then. You stick to _your_ guns and Black can stick to his while _I_ go back to town." I turned to leave, but Black grabbed my arm. So close to escaping!

"Ohhh, no, you don't! You're gonna stay here and train that Pichu of yours to become a badge winner!" Darn it, Black, couldn't you just leave me be?

**X-X-X**

I spent the rest of my time in the Dream Yard battling trainers. Commanding Tiny was easy enough, but he honestly lost more fights than he won. Panacea, on the other hand, performed well enough to win battles, even if they weren't with much style. Black kept saying how experience was experience, whether you won or lost. Of course, _winning_ was better for the morale of the Pokémon and the trainer.

"Well, I think you've challenged everyone here willing to battle you. Ready to head back to the Pokémon Center before going to challenge the gym?" Black asked.

"No," I answered bluntly. "For all the _experience_ you said they've gained, they still only know one offensive move each. Everything else they know is defensive. Heck, Tiny's still pretty weak compared to the likes of Cilan's Pansage for sure! Can't I just wait until he evolves, then I'll challenge whatever gym's closest?"

"No!" My brother snapped. "When the tiny Sewaddle is outmatched in strength by the Tranquill, what does it do?"

"Get eaten."

"No! Well, there's a chance that'll happen, but _no_! The Sewaddle relies on the power of its mind! It will use its moves not to beat up its enemy, but to outwit it and possibly entrap it so it can escape from danger! There's more to Pokémon battles than brute force! There's also strategy! Like using Oshawott's Water Gun to blind opponents or Pidove's Gust to kick up sand and dirt."

I sighed. "So you're not gonna let this go." Black didn't say anything. He just stared at me sternly with his arms folded across his chest. I sighed and looked down at my shoulder where Tiny was. "He's not gonna let this go. And I can't exactly ask _you_ if you wanna do it because you're always so willing… Fine, whatever! Let's just get this over with! But if Tiny gets beat up, I'll beat _you_ up, Black!"

My twin flinched. "Wh-what?! I'm just trying to help!"

"And don't think I don't see you skulking over there, N!" I snapped at the green-haired teen who was staring at us from behind a tree. "If you hate us so much, then quit following us! The last thing I want is for you to keep hounding me about what an awful trainer I am!"

"You'd better do it. She fears Pokémon, but if a human ticks her off, she'll be on them like a Hydreigon." N didn't reply to either of us. Instead, he just kept staring, like he expected more of us. I got sick of the silence and the environment, so I left. Black ran to catch up to me, saying, "You made a weird friend, White"

"He's _not_ a friend." Why would I wanna be friends with someone who puts me down like that?

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later, Black and I stood outside of the Striaton City gym. Although my brother kept pushing me to go in, I remained frozen in place, taking deep breaths in preparation. I stayed like that until the doors opened to reveal the three Gym Leaders.

"You've returned for your battle, I see," said Cress with a smirk. "Just as I predicted!"

"What're you talking about? You just saw them in the window," Chili said.

"Actually, _I'm_ the one who saw them," Cilan pointed out.

The blue-haired Gym Leader rolled his eyes before he put his hands on his hips. "Well, _regardless _of how we knew, she came back, didn't she? I trust you aren't going to run away this time?" I shook my head. "Excellent. It wouldn't look good for us if trainers went running out and never came back." The trio stepped aside and bowed. "Please, step inside and let's begin."

Minutes later, I was led to the battle arena in the back of the gym. I could feel the stares coming from the restaurant section's lunchtime crowd, eager for a show. Did _all_ gyms do this, or did these guys figure that their situation allowed them to give a meal and a show? Regardless of how unsettling it was to have people watching me, I noticed that Cilan had already released his Pansage. I took Tiny off of my shoulder and set him down on the ground before me.

"You know what to do, right? If it gets too hard, just tell me, okay?" I asked. All Tiny did was smile and nod. I wondered if he even really understood what I was saying.

"For this match, we have Gym Leader Cilan," Chili began to announce, "Versus the challenger White Ketchum! Ready?!" He pumped a fist in the air. "Begin!"

"Pansage, start with Work Up!" Cilan commanded. Just like before, his Pansage started pumping its fists in the air while an aura of power radiated for it. But I was ready for it. At least that's what I kept telling myself. "Now Lick!" The Grass type jumped forward, sticking its tongue out in the process.

"Tiny, use Charm!"

Just like in the battles before, Tiny stood still and made an adorable expression. "Chuuu~!" He cooed endearingly with big, watery eyes and his arms outstretched as if waiting for a hug. The Pansage was caught by surprise and landed in front of Tiny, staring at him in confusion. "Friend?" He asked his enemy cutely, still holding his arms out as he walked up to hug Pansage.

Pansage blushed and smiled as he hugged Tiny back. "Of course, friend." I was worried for a moment. It almost seemed too easy, but the Pansage wasn't making any moves or listening to Cilan's pleas to let go.

"Now, Sweet Kiss!" Tiny leaned forward and gave the Grass type a peck on the cheek. It was enough to make him stumble back in surprise, blushing furiously.

"Stay away from that Pichu, Pansage! Use Vine Whip to take it down from a distance!" Cilan exclaimed.

Pansage nimbly jumped back a safe distance and unleashed his vines from the leaves on his head. They lashed at Tiny several times before wrapping around him and gripping tightly. Tiny gave a cry of pain, shocking himself and the vines in the process. The jolt was enough for Pansage to drop the Pichu in surprise, and he landed ungracefully on his back. Pansage attempted to wrap his vines around Tiny again, but they became tangled up as Pansage swayed back and forth. The Grass type fell back and his vines retracted towards him in a knotted mess that struck him right in the face.

From behind me, I could hear Black cheering me on. "Keep it up, White!" Oh, my gosh…! Did I actually have a _chance_? Could I actually _win_ this?!

"Um… Um…! Tiny, use Thunder Wave!"

"Ch-ch-ch-CHUUUU!" A jolt of lightning was zapped out of Tiny's body and towards Pansage. While the Grass type was busy untangling his vines, the electricity zapped him. As the Pansage's vines retracted, his body twitched in place. The paralysis had taken effect and would hopefully help.

"Now, use Thunder Shock!" His little cheeks crackling with electricity, the Pichu unleashed a more painful zap on his opponent. However, as expected, it didn't have much effect. Pansage's twitching wasn't from the attack, but from the paralysis. But it was the only real attack that most Pichu could learn. I didn't have the patience to _teach_ him some possible moves, and I didn't know if he had the _'breeding potential'_, as Black had put it, to learn anything that could actually harm a Grass type. It was the only option.

"Pansage, try Vine Whip again!" Cilan seemed to know that trying to get Pansage to move in for short-ranged combat was hopeless. I watched as Pansage's vines shot out yet again to lash Tiny, but this time, the Pichu was quick enough to dodge the attack because the vines were moving that slow. "Again! Use Vine Whip!" Once again, Pansage tried to attack, but whatever vine Tiny didn't dodge with ease was frozen in place from paralysis.

"Thunder Shock!" I commanded. Over and over again, Tiny unleashed jolts of electricity on Pansage. Slowly, but surely, the attacks took their toll and the paralysis made it worse. Pansage looked like it was close to falling, but so was Tiny. He was practically panting for breath while his cheeks crackled…and suddenly, I felt as bad as N said trainers were. Win or lose, I was gonna make sure that Tiny got a big meal for his efforts. And _maybe_ I'd let him sleep on top of me instead of on a pillow on the floor.

I was so distracted by my thinking of how to make it up to my Pichu, I didn't hear Cilan call out his command. By the time I focused on the battle again, Pansage's vines had managed to slap Tiny to the side with enough force that he almost left the ring. I felt as if _I_ was the one who had the wind knocked out of them. I saw him twitch. A part of me hoped he would faint just so this would end, but instead, Tiny got on all fours, twitching slightly. "Ch…ch…chuuuu…!" Electricity began to form around his body as he ran towards Pansage. The electricity grew to such a size that eventually, all I could see of him was an orb of light that crackled with electricity that sped towards the Grass type. When it made impact, there was a noise like thunder and Pansage was sent flying back, landing near Cilan's feet. In the middle of the battlefield was Tiny, sprawled out on the ground.

I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I didn't even know if the battle was really finished then, but I ran out to check up on the Pichu. "Tiny? Are you…okay?" I tried to pick him up, but I was met by the zap of electricity. His body was coursing with the stuff—I guess it was left over from whatever that move he did was. And what a move! It knocked him out! It was probably too much for him after I tired him out so much with those repeated Thunder Shocks. I sighed. Wary of the electricity, I picked him up. I did my best to ignore the minor sting of the electricity as I slipped him into my bag. "Even if we lost, you were wonderful."

"What makes you think you lost?" I looked up and saw Cilan standing before me with his hands behind his back.

I stood up to look him at him properly in the eye. "My Pokémon fainted. I'm a newbie trainer, but even _I_ know that means a loss."

"But your Pichu knocked out my Pansage with that last move. That should count as a victory for you, shouldn't it?" His question wasn't aimed at me, but to his brothers, who were approaching us.

"Ordinarily, it should be considered a loss for the trainer who has their Pokémon faint first," said Cress. "Pansage was knocked out by your Pichu's attack while it was still conscious, that should mean it dealt the winning blow."

"In other words, congrats! You won despite having the disadvantage elementally! That's a huge achievement for a beginning trainer!" Chili congratulated as he folded his arms behind the back of his head.

"I…don't _feel_ like I won." Oshawott had an elemental disadvantage, but _he_ didn't faint.

"Hey, if your Pokémon doesn't collapse from exhaustion or doesn't feel the least bit tired after your first gym match, _we_ aren't doing our best as Gym Leaders! Right, Cilan?"

The green-haired waiter laughed sheepishly. "Heh-heh… Right. So, please take this Trio Badge with our regards." He held his hand out, and sitting in his palm was the badge. It was gold with three gems in it: blue, red and gold sitting on top of each other. I stared at it. "You really did earn it," said Cilan. I sighed and picked up the badge. "I wish you best wishes on bothyour journeys!"

"Yeah, but don't go getting cocky! The other Gym Leaders are a lot stronger than we are, believe it or not!" said Chili. "So you better train hard! No slacking off!"

"And may you achieve the goals you set out on," Cress finished before they all bowed.

"Please come again!" All three spoke at the same time.

**X-X-X**

Once we left the gym, I felt like I could properly breathe again. "Thank goodness! I _never_ wanna go through that again!"

Naturally, Black looked disappointed. "Really? Gee, you kind of looked like you were enjoying yourself back there. Didn't give you a rush? Didn't it make you happy when you got that gym badge?

I frowned. "Not really. I think I got that badge out of pity instead of being skilled..."

"Don't say that… I think you did great! You earned that badge, battling with a Pokémon whose only attacks had a type disadvantage. I was lucky because Oshawott knew Tackle, but you and Tiny weren't. Besides, with the kind of rules they set for battling with them, they probably give that benefit to any beginning trainer that challenges them." My twin patted me on the back and grinned at me. "Look, don't worry about it! You've got the rest of your journey to become an ace trainer, like me!" I sighed. There were so many things wrong with that last sentence, but I didn't have it in me to lash out. I suppose this was Black's way of helping me. I guess I should be grateful he isn't pushing me into rooms filled with wild Pokémon or something. "But for now, let's bask in your victory! Lunch is on you."

I blinked and spun around to face him. "Wait, what do you mean it's on _me_?!"

"Well, a certain someone ran out on me before we could split the bill for breakfast at the restaurant, so _I_ had to pay the bill for _both_ our meals! A _stingier_ man would whine about it, but I kept quiet because, y'know, you were having problems."

"Oh." I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "Sorry? Heh-heh-heh…"

**X-X-X**

**Pansage learns Work Up via TM. Pichu can only learn Volt Tackle via breeding by having a Pikachu parent holding a Light Ball, but it isn't considered an Egg move.**

**Cilan saying "best wishes" is a reference to the BW anime season.**

**For this story, Pokémon can learn moves several ways, though not like in the game. A Pokémon who inherited a move from a parent via breeding may either be born with it from the get-go, learn it naturally, or have the "breeding potential" to learn it naturally or be taught if they weren't born knowing the move. Pokémon can also be taught moves that they can learn naturally via level up. How Pokémon can learn moves learned via TM and Move Tutor will be explored later on…maybe.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Pokémon series or any of its characters._

**X-X-X**

_~Daycare Dilemma~_

It seemed like winning that gym battle did wonders for my attitude. The night before, I slept oddly peacefully. No bad dreams or the tossing and turning that came from sleeping in a strange place far from home. I even I let Tiny sleep right on top of me, and when I woke up to the sight of him close to my face, I didn't panic—though that may have been more because I was tired at the time. The world had seemed a bit brighter. Surely winning a simple Pokémon battle couldn't have such an effect on a person…right?

Well, I was sure the feeling would fade soon. We were going to leave Striaton City today, so we decided to spend some time wandering about and taking in the sights. It would've been better with Bianca and Cheren, but they'd both left some time yesterday. At that moment, we were sitting at a fountain that Bianca had been talking about a couple of nights before, with topiary cut in the shapes of Pokémon. Black and I were sitting on the edge of the fountain, while his Pokémon swam in the water and mine simply walked along it.

"Do you think I should nickname them?"

"Hm?" I turned my head to look at Black. He'd managed to steal the magazine I bought in Accumula Town and had been reading it for about an hour now. I wound up having to use my Pokédex to entertain myself, checking its vast encyclopedia for a Pokémon that had little chance of killing me in one form or another.

"My Pokémon. You think I should nickname them? Would that really make them happier than they are now?" My twin asked while he kept his eyes on the magazine's pages. "It also says that if I take turns letting them out of their balls to walk with me for a while, they'll get used to me quicker and like me better. You think stuff like that works?"

I arched an eyebrow. "You're asking _me_? _You're_ the Pokémaniac here, not me."

"Pokémania doesn't include learning ways to better like your Pokémon. I mean…it's not like I know what it's like in a Poké Ball. And I don't know if they prefer it if you just call them by their species' name. Wait, do you think they name each other in the wild? What if Pidove already has a name?"

"...I think you're overexaggerating things." I highly doubt Pokémon names go beyond what kinds of cries they make. "But I'm sure the name thing is right. I mean, you wouldn't wanna be called _'human'_ for the rest of your life, would you? Especially in a world with so many of your kind."

Black fell silent. I took that as a cue to go back to reading my Pokédex. The sorts of moves a Pichu could learn seemed outrageous! I couldn't imagine one of them spewing poison, making grass trip their enemies, and even being able to perform kicks and punches! Reading all of those made me grateful that my dad sent me one who _didn't_ know such things.

"Pidove, c'mere." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Black on his knees before the fountain. Pidove hopped out onto the same spot he'd been sitting in, her feathers dripping wet. "Um, do you have a name?" Pidove didn't say anything. She just cocked her head to the side in confusion before shaking her head. "Would you mind if I gave you a name?" She shook her head again. "Really?"

Oshawott swam up to the wall of the fountain. "Hey, what about _me_?! If she gets a name, I want one, too! A cool one!"

Black fell silent before he suddenly whipped out his Poké Balls and returned his Pokémon. "I'll be right back!" He ran off in the direction we came from minutes before.

"What the—? Black! Where the heck are you going?!" Shouting was no use. He was too determined to go…wherever it was that he was going. I sighed and stretched my arms over my head. "Whatever. So long as he doesn't wind up wasting time or doing anything stupid, it's okay." I spent the next minutes looking up information on Audino. Just as I had reached the end of the entry, a shadow was cast over me and I felt someone staring at me. "Well, you came back quickly," I said, thinking it was Black. I closed the Pokédex and looked up. "What were you…? Oh. It's you."

"Hello," said N. I heard a low growl from down on the ground, but I didn't need to look to know it was that Zorua of his. Not that I really wanted to look at the Dark type. Or N, for that matter. Not after the way our last conversation ended. I didn't think he'd want to talk to me, either, but he seemed…amicable, I guess. "I'm glad to see that you're still in Striaton."

I arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you and your brother some more."

"Well, Black's not here." And if the look on my face isn't a clue, I don't want to talk to you.

Despite the look I was giving him, N sat down in the same spot Black was in not too long ago. "The other day, I happened to see you and your brother stepping out of the gym. Did you…battle them?"

"Yeah. And I won, too, thanks to Tiny. I've even got the badge to prove it." I thought about digging the Trio Badge out from my bag, but decided against it. "Really, though, I wouldn't have won if Tiny hadn't pulled through." I paused and remembered who I was talking to.

N began to stare out into space with a depressed expression "Ah. To be honest, I don't like gyms." Saw _that_ coming. "Day after day, the leaders and there make trainers fight battles against trainers that come and go. Their fame and position come from the Pokémon they injure in the process. If I didn't have to challenge them, I would never set foot in one."

"…Oh, I get it! You're a hypocrite." The green-haired teen looked at me in confusion as I continued, "You say that you think it's cruel to have Pokémon in Poké Ball, that trainers treat their Pokémon badly, that gyms are bad places, and yet here you are saying you want to challenge them."

"I don't _want_ to…I have to." N started to play around with the golden cube hanging from his pants. "I hate having to restrain my friends inside of those Poké Balls. I hate making them fight each other for the sake of a tiny piece of metal. I even hated the way those gym leaders congratulated me, as if victory made what happened right. But I'm grateful to the friends, because they endure the pain I put them through for the sake of my dream: a world where they can truly be happy."

I arched an eyebrow. N seemed to make me do that a lot. "So you don't think that maybe, instead of trying to change the whole world for them, you could make them happy just by being their friend?"

He gave me a blank look. "It's because they're my friends that I want to make this world a better place for them. I don't want any of them to feel pain again—even the ones I haven't met yet."

It was odd how he could say such awful things about trainers and be so content when it came to talking about Pokémon. I don't think I was _ever_ like that, even before I got my phobia. I sighed and folded my arms across my chest. "I hate to break it to you, but pain's a given in life. If we didn't know how pain felt, we wouldn't realize just how good it is to be without it. Not that it's a _good_ thing…but it's necessary to grow. How you choose to deal with pain can either stunt your development or help you become a new person." I felt N staring at me, so I avoided eye contact. "Like Pokémon, if we bear with the pains and the hurdles that come along in life, we can evolve. If we don't, as nice as it sounds, we wouldn't be as strong." It was funny that a Poképhobic girl was saying this. Sadly funny.

N didn't seem to find my words enlightening. Instead, he frowned. "I don't like that."

"Who does? You know the old saying: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Silence fell between us in a matter of seconds. I found myself wishing N would just leave, so I went back to reading my Pokédex, hoping that my ignoring him with prompt him to get the hint. Unfortunately, he switched his attention from me to Tiny, who was now standing next to him.

"Hello there. Has your trainer been good to you?"

"Wuh…weirdo," Tiny spoke, pointing a paw at N. I stifled a snicker.

"When she made you battle, did you hate it? Did you want to stop?" Tiny didn't answer this time. He just sneezed, tiny sparks flying from his cheeks in the process that made N jump a bit.

"He's just a baby, y'know. He doesn't understand your questions. He can't even _speak_ properly yet." So stop trying to turn him against me, you weirdo.

"Then I'll speak with your Audino," he said as he scooted closer to me. He leaned across me, right in front of my face, to look at Panacea, who had been sitting to my left. "Hello there."

"Um… Hello, Mr. N." Panacea said with a hint of nervousness.

"There's no need for formalities. I'm a friend. Could you tell me what sort of person you think White is?" The kind of person who doesn't like having people lean across her like she's furniture!

The Audino held a paw up to her cheek in thought. "No need to be pensive because of me. Hit me with your brutal honesty," I half-joked. If I really _was_ doing something that upset her, I wanted to know. Panacea was pretty helpful and I felt I should at least repay her by being a good trainer.

"…She's very nice. She saved a Munna when it was being harassed by some awful people, and she worries about Tiny and I. Oh, and she said that she's grateful to me for helping her train yesterday."

"Really? You don't mind that she caught you and took you away from your home in the wild?"

"Not really. My concern is to make sure Miss White is happy and healthy." At that, I felt my cheeks heat up. At this rate, I'll be letting Panacea sleep in the same bed as me, too.

N finally leaned away from me and sat properly. "I suppose it's only natural for her to worry about you. Audino are natural caretakers. But regardless, I'm impressed," N said, speaking to me now. "If everyone were like us, then maybe all Pokémon would be happier."

Once again, I arched an eyebrow. "You mean being able to understand Pokémon?" I doubt it. There were people, like my own family, who could understand their Pokémon through an understanding—something that was achieved simply by being together for years. In fact, I was certain that there were plenty of trainers out there like that.

"White!" I turned my head to see Black running towards us. He skidded to a halt in front of me, grinning madly as he held out his bag in front of me. "I bought a book!"

I stared at him, expecting him to finish his sentence. "…And?"

"It's a book about naming Pokémon! It's got all sorts of suggestions for names in it!"

"You spent money on a book when _I_ could probably give you some ideas for free?"

My brother pouted. "A nickname is like a bond between a trainer and their Pokémon! That's what it said on the back cover, anyway. I don't wanna have someone else naming them!" He suddenly noticed N. "Oh, it's N. Hey there." Don't sound so friendly towards him! You don't know what he's put me through! "So, uh, what were you two doing?"

"Just talking," I answered before N could.

Black scratched his cheek. "Really? I guess I didn't miss much, huh?" He then looked at N. "Say, are you going to Nacrene City?"

"I am."

"Then you should travel there with us!" My brother said with a smile.

"He doesn't want to go with you two!" Zorua snapped. Not that Black could understand it as any more than growls and yips.

"Traveling with other people is always fun, right?"

"He hasn't even agreed to come yet!" I said with a frown. Frankly, I just didn't want to have to travel with N, no matter how short the trip. I didn't like how he questioned my Pokémon, like he was expecting me to harm them or do something wrong.

"Why not? Route 3's pretty long. I'm sure N won't mind some company." Black clapped a hand on N's shoulder as he spoke. He didn't notice how the green-haired teen was staring at his hand.

"Yes, he would!" Zorua spoke up again. "Say _something_, N…!"

N blinked. "I…would like to go with you both," No! "But I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to before Nacrene." Yes! "I must be off now. Goodbye," N spoke quickly as he got up and walked quickly down the road out of the city. Zorua's goodbye was just sticking out his tongue.

When they were both out of sight, I kicked Black in his shin. "Ow! What was _that_ for?!"

"You idiot! You don't just go inviting complete strangers to travel with you!" I snapped.

"But he's kind of interesting! And he can understand Pokémon like you can! I thought you'd like him for company!" I kicked him again. "Ow! Quit it!"

"If I introduced you to every Pokémaniac out there, would you like _them_ for company?! Huh?!" I kicked him a third time.

"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry! I'm _sorry_! Just _stop kicking meeeee_!"

**X-X-X**

Later, we were walking down Route 3 in complete silence. I read my magazine, with Tiny occasionally poking his head out of my bag to look at the scenery. Black was reading a map he brought from home, but soon went to tinkering with his Pokédex.

"Let's see… Ooh! It says that there are Blitzle on this route! Maybe I should catch one!" Black's eyes lit up as he smiled. "Since Oshawott and Pidove are both weak to Electric type moves, having an Electric type Pokémon as a member of the team should cover that weakness!"

"And how are you going to _catch_ the Electric type if both of your Pokémon are _weak_ to electricity?" I asked, not taking my eyes off a page about the famous artist Burgh and his latest work.

"Didn't that gym battle in Striaton teach you something? Typing doesn't decide a battle! We could beat a Blitzle if we use our heads! Plus, wild Pokémon aren't quite as tricky to outmaneuver as a trainer and Pokémon working together."

As if to challenge him, a streak of black and white shot out of the grass and stopped in front of us. It was a Blitzle, alright: a black, horse-like Pokémon with white stripes in various positions on its body and a spiky white mane shaped like a lightning bolt. It stared at us. We stared at it. For a moment, the only noise came from other Pokémon in the distance.

So, of course, _I_ had to shatter the silence. "AHHHHH!" I immediately hid behind Black. "It's a Blitzle! It's a _Blitzle_!"

"Wow! What good luck!" Said Black, his eyes shimmering with delight.

"What _bad_ luck, you mean!" A Blitzle _was_ not a Pichu. A Blitzle could actually _kill_ us if it wanted to— Oh, my goodness, when did it get so close to Black?!

"H-hey! Cut it out!" My brother laughed as the Electric type started to sniff him. "Aren't you friendly?" He patted the Blitzle on the head with one hand while the other held his Pokédex out to scan it. "Let's see… Blitzle, the Electrified Pokémon. Electric type. It uses its mane to catch and store electricity. When it shines, it discharges electric power. They flash their manes at various frequencies and rhythms to communicate."

"Great! Now get it to leave!" I shrieked. I noticed that Tiny was now on Black's shoulder instead of in my bag. "Ah! Tiny, no! G-get back here!" The Blitzle craned its head and started to sniff Tiny. The Pichu's cheeks sparked, and in response, the horse-like Electric type's mane flashed in several different colors. I dreaded what was coming next.

"Rickyyyyy! Rickyyyyy!"

I jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice and gripped Black's jacket even tighter. "What the heck was _that_?!"

A little boy walked out of the tall grass. He was dressed in a blue school uniform with a bright yellow hat—the sort worn at preschools. "Rickyyyyy!" The boy cried out, looking on the verge of tears. He looked in our direction and went from sad to happy. "Rickyyyyy!" The preschooler ran towards us, or rather, towards the Blitzle. "Don't run away! We're s'posed to be using the buddy system!"

"That explains why he's so docile. He's not wild. He belongs to this kid," said Black. "So you don't have to be afraid, White! It's already been caught, so it won't just attack you like a wild Pokémon." I didn't believe that. A Poké Ball doesn't change attitudes.

The preschooler didn't seem to care about us, despite what _might_ have happened if his Blitzle would've attacked. "C'mon! We have to go to school!" The boy exclaimed as he tried to climb onto his Pokémon's back. It bent its knees so its owner could get up and when it was sure he was sitting properly, the Blitzle trotted off.

I gave a breath of relief and regained my wits. "What kind of parents give a child _that_ young a Pokémon? Mom wouldn't even get us a Lillipup or a Purrloin as kids! And _that_ kid has a _Blitzle_! It's, like, _ten times more dangerous_!"

Black shrugged. "The same parents who make their children walk a route with a Pokémon alone to go to school? It's kind of weird… If he were older, I'd ignore it, but he's so young."

"It's like some people don't care for their kids or something…"

Just then, more little boys and girls dressed in yellow hats and blue uniforms walked past us. Each one seemed to have some kind of Pokémon or other walking next to them. They each greeted us, "Good morning," as they went down the dirt road.

"…Okay. This is an unsettling trend," I mumbled as I gripped Black's arm.

"Hey!" My brother called out to a little girl who was walking by with an Emolga in her arms.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl replied. Smart kid.

"It's okay. I was just wondering if you're going to school in Nacrene City."

The child blinked. "Huh? No... My school's by the daycare down the road. I-I have to go now! Bye-bye!" She ran off, seemingly frightened of us.

"So there's a preschool and a daycare on this route?" I asked. "Isn't the middle of the wilderness a _bad_ place to put those in?"

"I'd hardly call this route wilderness…but, yeah. It is kinda weird. But if it's further down the road like that girl said, we'll see it for ourselves eventually…" Black resumed walking for a few seconds before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "By the way, could you let go of my arm? It's starting to go numb."

**X-X-X**

After we walked for several minutes, occasionally being stopped by trainers seeking to do battle, we saw something in the distance. There were a pair of small buildings standing next to each other. When we came further, we saw a pair of signs next to a fenced-lined path that led off the dirt road. One read, _'Sunshine Preschool'_, the other read _'Pokémon Daycare'_.

I gulped. "A daycare? For Pokémon?" I glanced at the sight behind the fence and immediately looked away. There were _dozens_ of Pokémon of varying sizes and types seemingly grazing behind the fence.

Black smiled. "That's pretty cool: having a Pokémon daycare right next to your school must make going to school more pleasurable." Maybe for someone like _you_. For _me_, I wouldn't be able to focus and beg to be homeschooled. "Hey, I just thought of something: the Pokédex sad that Pichu can only learn a move like Volt Tackle if you breed them under special circumstances. Pokémon in daycares often have eggs with other Pokémon. So…do you think Dad bred Tiny in a daycare?"

I looked down at Tiny, who was nestled next to my neck as he played with my hair and chewed on it. "Dad has a Pikachu, but it's a male… He might have just caught him in the wild or something." Just then, I noticed a certain green-haired weirdo leaning on the fence outside the daycare with a little black fox pulling at his pants leg. Twice in one day? Really? What did I do to deserve this?

"Hey!" My brother started waving both his arms in the air like some sort of lunatic. Eventually, I realized that only one of those arms was his—the other was _mine_. I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp, but he started to pull me along with him towards N. "I thought you said you had things to deal with, but here you are just wasting your time—" A ball suddenly hit Black in the side of the head. Black fell over clutching his head in pain. "What was _that_?!"

N bent over and picked up the ball. "This ball hit you."

Just then, a red Pokémon jumped onto the fence. It looked a lot like Pansage, but its ears were larger and its hair looked like the swirl on a soft serve ice cream. I thought it would attack, but the red monkey just held his hands out. "Could you gimme that back, please?"

N held up the ball and started to smile kindly. "Is this yours?" The Pokémon nodded. "Here you go." He handed the ball over, both of them seemingly ignoring that Black was writing in pain. The Pansear scampered back over the fence towards a little boy.

"Thanks, Pansear!" The boy said brightly. He patted the Pansear on the head before they both ran over to play with some other kids and their Pokémon."

Black got onto his feet "Kids should be careful where they throw their balls! That seriously _hurt_!"

I looked at N, who was staring at the kids with a distant look in his eyes. It was pretty creepy until he mumbled something like, "That looks like fun." He was actually staring at the kids playing ball with their Pokémon.

"We should all check that place out!" My brother exclaimed. He didn't wait for an answer from either one of us as he dragged us both into the courtyard. Yet again surrounded by Pokémon, I felt a shudder. Was I going to die here? If I was, I doubt Black would care. "Hi there!" He greeted the kids cheerfully.

The kids and their Pokémon stopped playing. "Good morning, mister!" The kids all spoke at once.

"I'm not a mister! I'm a Pokémon Trainer!" Black explained, jabbing his thumb into his chest. "The name's Black."

"Cool! A Pokémon Trainer!"

"Neat!"

"May we please see your Pokémon, Mr. Trainer?"

"Weeeeell… Alright! But only because you guys asked." My brother took out his Poké Balls and released Oshawott and Pidove. "Meet my friends Oshawott and Pidove!"

Almost immediately, the children began to crowd around Oshawott and Pidove. Soon, they were crowding around me, asking to see my Pokémon with anxious faces. I gave in and released Panacea while placing Tiny on the ground. Pidove was stroked. Panacea's tail was fluffed as little girls talked about how cute she was. Oshawott let the children touch his shell, though not take it out of his grip. N's Zorua had also caught the eye of some preschoolers, but he jumped onto N's shoulder to get away from them. And Tiny…

"Mommy…!" The Pichu's eyes were tearing up and his cheeks started to spark. The kids had been petting him and poking the electric sacs on his cheeks. I gave a squeak of fright that went unheard. A Thunder Shock seemed inevitable until a bell started to ring.

"Children! It's time for class!" A woman wearing an apron over her dress called for them as she shook a handheld bell. "Remember to put your Pokémon in the daycare before coming to class!" The children took their Pokémon and headed inside of the daycare building. "I'm sorry. They didn't annoy you or your Pokémon, did they?" The woman asked as she walked over.

"Uh, no. Not at all," I said with a sheepish smile. In fact, I was so busy minding the children, I didn't even notice their Pokémon. "Um, are you in charge of the daycare _and_ the preschool?"

"Oh, no! The daycare is ran by my parents, but they're not here right now. They went away to enjoy their anniversary outside of Unova. Lucky for me, the staff is here to help out."

At that moment, a young man walked into the courtyard. He was wearing a tan bandana and apron with Poké Ball symbols on them. "Um… Good morning, Miss Autumn," he greeted stiffly.

"Good morning, Isaac!" She looked at us. "This is Isaac. He's one of the breeders who takes care of the Pokémon at the daycare." Miss Autumn blinked. "Where is everyone else? Don't you usually come together?"

"Well…" Isaac scratched the back of his head. "They aren't coming."

"…What?! Why not?" The teacher asked, sounding distressed.

"Because we're quitting." Miss Autumn stood there in slack-jawed awe as Isaac continued, "We realized that it's wrong to work for a business that supports trainers neglecting their duties of taking care of their Pokémon. We think it would be best for those Pokémon if you released them back into the wild where they'll be happier." Now why did _that_ sound familiar?

"But you can't just release someone else's Pokémon because they leave them in a daycare!" Black spoke up. "Yeah, it's depressing when people abandon Pokémon at them, but that doesn't count for all of them!"

"Yeah, so says a kid who's probably got Pokémon trapped inside of Poké Balls." _Now_ I know why it sounded so familiar: he sounded like that Ghetsis guy. Did Team Plasma manage to spread more of their fertilizer about Pokémon liberation in Striaton City, too? "Anyway, if you don't release these Pokémon, you're as bad as the trainer that left them here."

After Isaac left, Oshawott frowned and said, "What a jerk."

"J-jerk!" Tiny chirped with a mad expression. He actually got the gist of that word?

Miss Autumn hid her face in her hands. "This is just terrible! I can't teach the kids _and_ take care of the Pokémon at the same time! I don't think I'd be able to care for them all on my own…!"

Black and I looked on sadly. "H-hey, don't cry, miss!" Black pleaded. "Um… If you'd like, _we_ can look after the Pokémon for you!"

"WHAT?!" I shouted a little _too_ loudly. I grabbed Black's shoulder and turned him around roughly. "Are you out of your mind? You _know_ what happens when I'm around Pokémon and you're telling her we can take care of a bunch at once?!"

My twin smiled. "C'mon, White! She needs our help! You're not the sort of awful person who walks away from someone in need, are you?"

**X-X-X**

"I _really_ hate when this happens…" I muttered to myself as I took off my hat and put on a white apron with a Poké Ball pattern. "Somehow, Black, you always—_always_—convince me to do something I don't want to do," I continued, undoing my ponytail and wrapping a white bandana around my head.

"Aw, why don't you just admit that deep down, you wanna help out?" I looked at my brother, who was also wearing a bandana and apron, his being black. "You may be afraid of Pokémon, but you're not a cold-hearted person. Just like N!"

"Don't compare me with that weird jerk!" I shouted. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"I think he went out back to get a head start."

Typical. The guy loved Pokémon. It was human beings he had a problem connecting with… I willingly allowed my brother to drag me out of the house and out back where the Pokémon were kept. Dozens of Pokémon, big and small, who were lazing about, running around or playing together. I fell to my knees and started breathing heavy.

"Take deep breaths, White. Deep breaths…" Black instructed. I glared at him out of the corner of his eye and elbowed him in the gut.

"_You_ take deep breaths!"

Black recovered from my attack and rubbed his stomach. "Did you have to hit me so hard…? Well, it's time to get to work! You take one side and I'll take another."

As my brother walked away and left me alone on the ground, I gave a sigh. Getting better didn't seem like it was worth _this_ sort of trouble…

**X-X-X**

The time I spent caring for the daycare's Pokémon was possibly the second most terrifying time of my entire life. So far, anyway. I lost count of the number of times I fainted, only to be woken up by Black, or N, or a Pokémon—the latter of which only made me faint again. When I wasn't unconscious, I had to get it together to feed the Pokémon and wash them. Tiring work both physically and mentally.

"Phew! How exhausting…!" I said with a sigh as I sat down beneath a tree next to a small pond. "I can't believe those breeders quit just because of stupid Team Plasma… And now I have to do _their_ jobs…!" I closed my eyes and tried to forget about the fact that there were so many Pokémon around me.

"White…" I heard N speak. I cracked an eye open to stare at him. He looked just as ridiculous as me and Black with that red bandana and apron on him. I soon closed my eyes again.

"What?"

"What are these?" I opened my eyes and saw that he was carrying eggs of several colors in his arms. "I found them scattered all over."

"N, d-don't drop those! Those are eggs!"

He looked a bit peeved after I said that. "I can see _that_, but they don't seem like normal eggs. They're large."

"Because they're _Pokémon_ eggs! Meaning they've got Pokémon inside of them!"

"Really?" N sat down next to me, put down the eggs and picked one up. "I didn't know Pokémon could make eggs."

"Seriously?" You would think a guy that adored Pokémon as much as N would know that. "Well, most of them, yeah." He held the egg up to his ear, looking as bright-eyed as a child. It made him seem nicer.

"…I can't hear anything," he said, looking disheartened.

"Of course you can't hear anything. They're _eggs_. They'll start speaking when they hatch."

"I'd like to see that." N's fingers lightly traced the patterns on the egg. "By the way…what's your opinion of this place?" Not again…! "Some of these Pokémon have been left here temporarily by their owners, while others were abandoned here. Despite that, they seem very happy here, because the children in that school play with them every day. Some even come on the weekends just to be with them."

That should have been obvious. I don't think there's a kid in the world who would pass up the opportunity to play with Pokémon. Not counting the weird, Poképhobic ones like me. "It's a nice alternative to putting them in PCs, right? At least in a daycare, they can run around free and play with other Pokémon, although it does get pricy, I bet." I saw Tiny playing with some other Pokémon, running around a rock-like Pokémon with red crystals jutting out of it and couldn't help but smile. "Of course, I dunno how it's like in a PC… It could be fun being in a computer." Kind of like virtual reality.

"Maybe… But they'll go back to their owners, and those with no owners remain here until someone takes them. Either way, they'll end up trapped."

"Geez, you're depressing! You really need to lay off of that stuff." I groaned. N opened his mouth to say something else, but I quickly grabbed an egg and lightly bopped him on the head with it. "I said _lay off_!"

"But—" I raised the egg again and he held his hands over his head for protection. I smiled proudly and patted the egg.

"Glad to see you learn. Seriously, don't you have anything else to talk about but the pain Pokémon go through under ownership? Like…what was the last movie you saw? Where's your hometown? What's your family like?" In the distance, I saw Black washing a large red Pokémon with fiery eyebrows and soon after ignore it. "Do you have a girlfriend? …Actually, forget that last one. I doubt you've got what it takes to talk properly to a girl."

N blinked and stared at me. "…Are those…the sort of things friends talk about?"

I think I felt my mouth open when he said that. It made me wonder just how many _human_ friends N had, if any at all. "Yeah. Pretty much." Well, the two of us were more acquaintances than friends… At least until he learned not to be so preachy. Even Cheren learned not to lecture us too often or else we'd all give him the silent treatment.

He looked down at the ground in thought, bringing the egg closer to him. He was really thinking about something to talk about. Well, I guess you'd have to think about appropriate subjects when it came to strangers. Eventually, he raised his head and looked at me. "Would you tell me what your family is like?"

"Oh. Well… You already know Black—resident Pokémaniac. I swear that every morning I wake up with him, he always manages to annoy me somehow. My Mom's a really…intriguing person. Every weekend, we have to guard the phone and make sure she doesn't order something weird from the Home Shopping network. My dad…" My smile faded and I leaned further back into the tree. "My dad travels. He's a trainer. I'm not sure if he's here in Unova or in another region. The last time I heard from him was when he gave me Tiny as a gift." Saying that, I _really_ feel bad about wanting to dropkick his present into the sea before.

"I see."

"What about you? What's _your_ family like?" For a sec, I thought N's eyes had gone blank. When I looked again, he was staring down at the ground in thought. I could only imagine what sort of people his parents had to be to make a kid like N.

"I don't have siblings, and I can't remember my mother because she died when I was very young," he spoke quickly. It took me a few seconds to realize the last thing he said, but he didn't seem to be expressing any feelings of sadness. "And my father… He's taught me so much about what's wrong with the world. With people." Ah. So I guess his dad loves Pokémon more than people, too.

"Really. And all my Dad taught me was that he'd kill any boy who hurt me in any way." N stared at me in shock. "That was a joke. He didn't really say that. He taught me to kick a guy between the legs when he tried to do something dirty." I smirked as I noticed N close his legs out of the corner of my eye. I looked back to Black and noticed that he was underneath a pile of Pokémon, waving for help. I gulped. "Well, break's over. It's t-time to go back into the fray. You go first, N," I muttered as I pulled N up and pushed him out in front of me. It's always good to have a shield, after all.

**X-X-X**

Being a Pokémon caretaker would've been a good way to overcome my fear if it didn't mean facing so many at once. Case in point, at my feet were a hoard of Lillipups and Herdiers—evolved forms of Lillipup with fur on their face that looked like mustaches and dark fur that covered their torso. They all yipped, barked, and rolled over in their attempt to get me to feed them more berries, despite Miss Autumn telling me that I should only feed them once for the morning.

"Stop that…! Y-you're not getting anymore! You'll get fat and your owners will complain!" The dog Pokémon proceeded to use another tactic: the dreaded puppy dog eyes maneuver. Being used by actual puppies, it managed to even break _me_ down. I sighed and started refilling their bowls with some Pokémon food. At least I've gotten over my fear of Lillipups.

Next, I wandered over to one of the ponds where some Ducklett were wading. Near the edge opposite of where I was standing, I saw a curious thing: a pair of Oshawott. One was Black's while the other was probably left here by its trainer. The only apparent difference between them was that the other Oshawott's torso was a paler shade of blue.

"Hey there!" Black's Oshawott greeted cheerfully. "I didn't think I'd meet another of my kind in a place like this!" The other Oshawott said nothing. It continued staring down at its reflection on the pond's surface. "Would you like to do battle?" He started to pat his shell proudly. "I haven't been training long, but I'm confident in my skills!" His challenge was still met with silence, which made him sad. "Hey, come on~! I know you want to~!"

"Lea…lone…" The other otter Pokémon mumbled something.

"Hm? What'd you say?" Black's Oshawott got closer with a look of curiosity.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" The other snapped before slamming its shell down on Oshawott's head, then ran off.

A bit worried for him, I circled around the pond and approached Oshawott. A scalchop-shaped imprint stuck out on his face. "Um… Are you okay?"

"That…was a female. A female!" Oshawott gasped.

I arched an eyebrow. "How can you tell?" They weren't like Unfezant—the Pokédex said as much. They didn't have any physical differences between males and females.

"How do _you_ tell when humans are female? I'm not dumb—I _know_ a female Oshawott when I see one!"

"…You couldn't tell until you heard her voice, huh?" I asked flatly.

Oshawott blushed again. "…Well, I'd know one if I'd actually ever _seen_ a female Oshawott before. But that doesn't matter! I'm determined now to _spar_ with her before we leave this place!" Wait, _spar_? Was that supposed to be romantic for members of the Oshawott family? Before I could ask, Oshawott had already run off in pursuit of the female.

"Hey, White!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Black running towards me. "I just realized that no one's at the front desk. Would you mind?"

Normally, I would ask "Why me and not you?", but I was all too happy to get away from all those Pokémon and take a break. So instead, I said "Okay," and ran towards the building.

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later, I realized just how _dull_ being in charge of the front desk was. All I had to do was wait for people to come in, take their Pokémon from them and make little notes about what was taken in from whom and taken out for whom. It may have been more interesting if anyone actually came in. Slow as it was, I decided to take a nap and hope that by the time I woke up, there'd be a customer.

"Excuse me. Miss?" It was only a few seconds after putting my head down that I heard a voice. I sat up and looked around before finally looking down. It turned out to be the preschoolers from next door. "Um… Can we go play with the Pokémon? Miss Autumn said we could."

I shrugged. "If she gave you permission, sure. Why not?"

"YAY!" The children immediately ran outside, save one: a little girl holding a Clefairy doll.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her.

"Th-there's a Pokémon out there…" I looked outside and saw the large red Pokémon that Black had been bathing earlier—the one with the fiery eyebrows and mouth set into a permanent sharp-toothed smile. Right now it was carrying Black over his shoulder like a sack and I couldn't tell if he was hating it or enjoying it. "He…he's scary…!" The little girl whimpered.

"He's…_probably_ not that scary." Probably. If what N said was true, none of the Pokémon here would hurt the kids. If anything, they seemed to like them.

"But-but-but he's _big_! And he looks like he's gonna _eat_ me!" The girl cried, squeezing her doll and making it squeak. Great, now she was making _me_ worry.

"He's not that bad! Honestly!" If he could endure Black for so long without eating or crushing him, he must've been nice. Or at least playful. I looked outside and saw that Black was being followed around by the big red Pokémon as he tended to others.

The girl pouted. "I liked it better when he was little…" Little? I guess that meant that it had evolved. "Now he's all scary-looking…!"

"Well, I doubt he's changed just because he looks different." _Maybe_. Unless evolution caused his personality to change into a savage beast— _Stop_! You're supposed to be _helping_, not making it worse! "Maybe if you went up to him, you'd see if he's not nice anymore."

The girl looked up at me with a frightened expression. "W-will…will you come with me?" She asked with large puppy dog eyes. I was afraid of that…!

**X-X-X**

So here I am, holding a little girl's hand as we walked over to a large and possibly violent Pokémon. Black was right: I am not a bad person. Not so bad as to ignore a kid crying for help. When we got close enough, the red Pokémon began bouncing in place. I felt the girl cling to my leg tightly and heard her Clefairy doll squeak.

"Suzie! Suzie, Suzie, Suzie!" The Pokémon chanted.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Black looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Oh, White! Have you seen this big guy yet?" He said, patting the red Pokémon on the back. "He's a Darmanitan, the Blazing Pokémon. They've got an internal fire that burns at 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and can destroy a dump truck with a single punch! Isn't that something? Maybe I should catch one later on…" He mused with amazement in his eyes.

The little girl whimpered and I glared at my brother. "Now's not the time to share your knowledge, _Mr. Pokédex_!" I hissed before leaning forward and adding, "She's afraid of it, and you just made things worse!"

"Huh?" Black bent down and looked behind my leg at the child. "No need to be afraid. He's a nice guy! A bit touchy-feely, but nice!"

The Darmanitan suddenly wrapped his arms around me and the little girl. "I missed you so much! Where'd you go?!" He bawled. I don't think he saw the frightened expression on my face as it pulled us closer.

"You're…really warm," I heard the girl mumble. "It's nice." I looked down to find her rubbing a hand on the Pokémon's stomach. He stopped hugging us and put the girl on his back before walking off.

"Awww, you did a nice thing, White. Maybe now you've gotten over your fear of Pokémon?" I just glared at my brother. "Dumb question, huh?" I nodded before walking back to the building.

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**All obtained starter Pokémon (excluding special cases like Pikachu), have a very small chance of being female.**

**X-X-X**

**Remember to review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose doesn't own the Pokémon series. She only owns her interpretations of some characters and this story._

**X-X-X**

_~Daycare Rescue~_

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. The children had left midafternoon, taking their Pokémon with them. A handful of people came by to pick up their Pokémon, which led to some happy-looking reunions. By sundown, the Pokémon that were left had been tended to and were tuckered out, and so were the three of us.

"Alright! It's time for the naming ceremony!" Black exclaimed as he held his Pokémon naming book in his hands. He was sitting cross-legged on one of the loveseats in the front area, his Oshawott and Pidove on either side of him. "Oshawott, I hereby name you…Kaito."

"Kai-to…" The Oshawott sounded out.

"And Pidove, I name you…Valentine."

"Valentine?" The Pidove repeated.

Black smiled, happy with himself. "What do you guys think? Do you like your new names?"

"It's…not bad." Valentine answered.

"Not bad? It's _cool_!" Kaito exclaimed as he bounced up and down on the cushion.

"Why are they so happy?" N asked either me or himself. We were sitting off to the side while Black did his little naming ceremony. "A trainer giving them a name is only one of the ways Pokémon are shackled by them."

I gave the green-haired teen a half-lidded stare. "Where do you learn these things? A name gives you individuality, among other things…"

"For a human, perhaps. But for Pokémon, it is merely a means of ownership."

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't know _why_ I ever bother with you." I didn't even know why he was still here. He got his questions answered, so now he should leave.

The door then opened and Miss Autumn walked inside. "Well, that's the last of them! Thank you all so much for your help I don't know how things would have gone without you. I've already called the job agency in Accumula Town and they said they'll send some new caretakers over in the morning."

"Thank goodness!" I exclaimed, not as happy for her as I was for being able to leave this place.

"It's getting dark out, so why don't you all stay here for tonight? It's never safe to travel at night. You don't know what will happen." The older woman gestured to the stairs leading up to the second floor. "You can sleep in my parents' room. I'll leave the door open so you can tell which one it is, but please don't touch anything in there."

"Thank you," Black and I spoke at the same time. N just stood there quietly as Miss Autumn disappeared up the stairs to the second floor, like he was thinking.

"I'll leave you guys out until morning," Black told his Pokémon. "That way, Osha— I mean, _Kaito_ can get back to wooing that girl Oshawott."

Kaito began to blush. "There's no wooing! I-I just wanna fight her!"

"I guess I'll do the same. Tiny and Panacea have already fallen asleep outside anyway," I said.

"So, this just leaves one question: who's sleeping on the floor?" I stared at Black in confusion. "If it's her parents' room, there has to be a double bed. So, unless you want all three of us crammed together in bed..."

I frowned. "I'm not sharing a bed with either one of you!" I shouted as my cheeks heated up. From childhood experience, I knew Black was a rough sleeper. And N was weirdo stranger who might try something dirty. "Why don't you two sleep on the floor and _I'll_ sleep on the bed?"

Black frowned as well. "Why _both_ of us?

"Because I'm a girl and you two are boys. Plus, I'm more delicate than you two, so I need to sleep comfortably."

"You're hardly delicate. And I'm your _brother_! We've shared a bed before!"

"Exactly. Which is why I don't want to do it again."

"What's so bad about us sleeping in the same bed as you?" N asked. "If we all squeezed in together, we might be able to fit." Black and I stared at him as he continued, "My friends and I did that when I was young. We would hug each other and we'd all be comfortable."

"…Were the friends you did this with Pokémon, N?" Black asked, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. The green-haired boy nodded and he gave a sigh of relief. "Good! I mean… While that's a good idea, N, there's the fact that White is a girl. And as her big brother, I can neither cuddle her in bed, nor let any other man cuddle her."

"Why not? Girls aren't that different from boys, right?"

"…N, I changed my mind. You can sleep with White.

"WHAT?!" I grabbed Black's shoulder and gripped it tightly. "Black, how _dare you—_?!"

Black took me aside and whispered, "It's kind of obvious that N wasn't taught about the Pidgey and Combees, if you know what I mean." Geez, how closed off _was_ N? He had to have been a year or two older than both of us and _we_ knew about _that_ more than he did! "Anyway, he's harmless. I doubt he'd do anything to you."

"I doubt your doubting."

"If anything happens, I'll be sleeping on the floor. Scream and I'll kick his butt."

"If anything happens, I'll kill you _both_!" I growled.

**X-X-X**

Later that night, Black was sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor, and I was sleeping on a double bed with N. I had put some pillows between us for my own protection, but that didn't stop him from trying to reach out and cuddle me in his sleep like I was one of his Pokémon friends. Eventually, I couldn't take it. I took N's arm off of me, slid out of the bed as quietly as I could, and headed downstairs with a pillow underarm. If I couldn't sleep upstairs, I'd sleep on the loveseat downstairs. The fact that my legs dangled over the other end didn't matter. I just put the pillow on the armrest and rested my head on it. I shifted, feeling uncomfortable. What I would've gave to be sleeping in a Pokémon Center instead of a daycare at the side of the road…

"Sssh…! Be quiet! We don't want to wake anyone up." I opened my eyes at the sound of a voice coming from outside. I rolled onto my back and looked down to the window above my feet. I saw a light shining from outside and I could hear grass rustling. Then the sources walked into view in front of the window: Team Plasma.

"I've always thought this place was awful. People just leave their Pokémon here for days and forget they exist! Such awful treatment…" I heard one of the grunts speak.

"Tonight, we'll free all the Pokémon trapped in here and teach those people a lesson!" Another said as he passed.

Great. If their idea of freeing Pokémon was the same as those guys in Striaton City, they'd resort to hurting the Pokémon just to make them leave. When I saw no more passing by the window, I got up. I had to wake up Black and N and tell them what was happening, but a noise stopped me in my tracks, followed by a flash of light.

"CHUUUUU!" It was Tiny! I forgot all about Black and N and instead ran out the door in time to see Tiny get kicked away by a Plasma member that was climbing over the fence. He sat up and held onto his stomach. "M…mommy…!" He cried out in pain. Suddenly, I was feeling very maternal, and I snapped. I bent over to pick up the biggest, heaviest rock near me and threw it at the grunt's head. When the rock made impact, it gave a cry of pain and began to fidget. Oops. I _think_ it was a Pokémon.

"What's goin' on?!" The rock-like Pokémon shouted loud enough to wake up the other Pokémon. "What's with the guys in the crazy getups?"

"Don't let those guys get their hands on you! They just wanna take you away from here—from your friends and trainers!" I shouted.

"WHAT?!" Several of the Pokémon shouted in surprise.

"N-no! Not again! I can't go through that again!"

"But…! But Anna will be sad!"

"Suzie said she'd adopt me!"

"I don't wanna be released! I want Damon!"

Oh dear. Now I got all of them worried.

"White!" I looked down and saw Kaito at my feet. "Those weirdoes are here!"

"I knew that…" I said as I picked up Tiny and cradled him in my arms. "There, there. You'll be okay." He continued to cry quietly as his cheeks sparked. I set my sights on Team Plasma. "You guys think saying it's all for Pokémon liberation means you can do whatever you want?! You're nothing but creeps!"

The other Plasmids had finished climbing over. There were four of them altogether, not counting the unconscious one.

"What do _you_ know? You work at a place where they treat Pokémon like attractions at a zoo!" One of the grunts spoke.

"_You're_ the one who doesn't know anything! The Pokémon here love their trainers and are willing to wait for them! And the ones without them have kids who adore them and visit them when they can!"

"Stupid girl! We're the heroes who are going to free these Pokémon from their prison! We're their _saviors_! We're—!" He was interrupted by a jolt of electricity from the sidelines that made him fall over, stunned.

Nearby, an Emolga stood by with its cheeks crackling with electricity. "I dunno about _you_ guys, but I didn't asked to be saved—especially not by _these_ weirdoes." He stated.

"Yeah, who do these guys think we are?" A Herdier spoke up as others of its kind began to growl and Lillipups started to yip.

"Personally, I think they deserve a _lesson_," came from a Purrloin that held out its sharpened claws.

Kaito drew his shell and held it up in the air. "Guys! I think I speak for everybody when I say…ATTACK!"

Almost immediately, the Pokémon started reacting in hostile ways. I could hear growls and roars. I saw sparks flying, embers bursting to life, and gusts of wind that were visible to the eye. The Team Plasma grunts, pulled out their Pokémon: Purrloins, Patrats, and one even had a Sandile, but they were outnumbered and overpowered to the point where the daycare Pokémon redirected their anger on the grunts when their Pokémon were unconscious. _That_ was brutal. Or so I think. Really, while this was all happening, I'd crawled over to the wall of the daycare building, praying that this would all be over before their anger was directed towards _me_ next.

A sharp whistle then sounded out, and I heard the ruckus stop. I raised my head and saw Miss Autumn standing in the open doorway with her arms folded across her chest. Behind her were Black and N, looking stunned. "What on earth is going on?!" She shouted. I wondered if she did this kind of thing with her students as well. The Pokémon crowd separated to reveal the Team Plasma members and their Pokémon, beaten unconscious and bearing all sorts of scratches, burns and bruises. I shuddered, as much as I thought they deserved it for what they were trying to do. Miss Autumn's mouth opened in surprise. "What?! Who are these people? Pokémon thieves?"

I found my voice again to explain, "They're Team Plasma. They wanted to release the Pokémon here into the wild, but they wouldn't have it."

"Oh…!" The school teacher began to blush and smile. Then she realized what just happened and she clapped a hand over her chest. "O-oh my goodness! I should call the police immediately! Y-you kids stay here and make sure they don't move, okay?!"

"You can count on it, m'am!" Black said as she ran back into the house. He walked over to me and bent over. "You okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

I sighed. "No. I just sat here like a coward. I didn't even try to battle!"

"You're not a coward, Miss White," Panacea spoke up. "If you hadn't come along, they might've actually succeeded."

"That's right! You woke me up!" The rock Pokémon snapped at me. I immediately flinched and started to hug Black's leg. "I mean, uh… Thanks for helping us."

"Mommy," Tiny spoke up in my arm. "T…thanks…" He mumbled.

"You're hardly a coward. If anything, you're a little overemotional. But that's a good thing sometimes," said Black.

I started to smile a bit. I scratched Tiny's ear as I stood up. "For the rest of the night, you're sleeping with me, got it?" He gave a squeak of happiness. "I hope you don't mind sleeping with me on the _floor_."

"Hm? Why the floor?" My brother asked.

"Because, Black. I'm going to give _you_ the bed. You can sleep with N."

"I, uh, guess it was uncomfortable, huh?" Not in the way _you're_ thinking. Deal with being choked like a human teddy bear for the night, _'big brother'_!

"You don't mind, do you, N?" I asked the green-haired boy. He had a far-off look as he stared at the unconscious grunts and the rock Pokémon that was kicking one of them in the head. "What's wrong? Seeing your idols like this made you realize you shouldn't be rooting for them?"

"No," he answered immediately. "I'm just upset that they would resort to violence to get things done. Their passion should have a limitation. However, we cannot blame the actions of the few on the whole."

"Wait, what?! So when it's trainers, we're _all_ guilty, but when it's Team Plasma, only _some_ are guilty?! I just…ARGH!" I shouted, making N back up into a wall in fear of me. "You are just _so_…_so_…! Ugh, forget this! I'm too tired to be enraged!" I grumbled as I entered the building. "I'm going upstairs. Disturb me in my sleep at your own risk…"

**X-X-X**

"_It doesn't matter if you had good intentions, White. You don't just steal someone's Pokémon," Mommy told me, wagging her finger like she did._

"_But he was hurting him!" Thinking about that poor little Lillipup with the bent leg and the injured eye made me sad, and thinking about his owner—the little boy who hurt him—made me mad. It didn't seem fair to leave him where he was, so I just took him when no one was looking and tried looking after him myself._

"_Maybe so, but this is the sort of thing you __**tell**__ people, sweetie. Like Daddy and I, or someone at the Pokémon Center. Doing this just makes you look like a criminal!"_

_I pouted. "I-I'm not a criminal! I just wanted to help! I-I-I—" Mommy silenced me by stroking my hair._

"_Ssshh! It's okay. I know you were trying to do good, but sometimes, there are right ways to go about it and there are wrong ways."_

_I looked up at Mommy. "Was it a right way when you beat up that mean boy's daddy?"_

_She frowned. "No, it wasn't. The __**right**__ way would have been to talk to him patiently about how if you let children do this when they're young, when they're adults, they won't care about __**who**__ they hurt, human or Pokémon. Punching him in the face and calling him many bad things is the __**wrong**__ way, even when they're being jerks. Do you understand?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Good girl."_

**X-X-X**

"NO!" A loud scream caused me to roll over with a start. I regretted it immediately as I knocked my elbow into the dresser. Right… I wasn't sleeping on a bed, but on the floor in Black's sleeping bag. I hissed in pain and held onto my aching elbow. None of this disturbed Tiny from his sleep, though, as he just kept on snoozing.

"What the heck was _that_?!" I heard Black exclaim as he sat up in bed.

I picked up my sleeping Pichu and got on my feet, still rubbing my elbow with my free hand. "It sounded like Miss Autumn." What came next was the sound of a woman sobbing loudly. What could've happened? Did those new breeders come along and suddenly decide to be Pro-Plasma, too? Still dressed in our pajamas, we both left the room and entered the hallway. "By the way, where's N?"

"Huh?" Black yawned and rubbed his eyes. "…N? I dunno. Maybe he's downstairs eating breakfast or something?"

When we reached downstairs, we found the backdoor wide open and the preschool teacher on her knees outside, hunched over and shaking. The two of us immediately ran over to see what was the matter, but we saw it the moment we stepped outside. The backyard was empty. Not a single Pokémon was in sight. "What…? _What_?! Where'd all the Pokémon go?!"

"No! Kaito and Valentine…and Panacea, too? How'd this happen?!"

Miss Autumn sniffled and shook. "I…don't…know!" Tears were rolling down her face. She looked like a mess over this, and why _wouldn't_ she? The daycare was her parents' business and it was her responsibility. "They're all g-gone! How could this happen?! Who could've done this?!"

Black's mouth thinned into a line. "Team Plasma? But we stopped them last night! The police came for them and everything, right? Unless…there were more hiding out somewhere. Or maybe they were just ordinary Pokémon thieves."

A thought suddenly entered my mind. "Or maybe N."

"N? He wouldn't do this! He said it himself last night: he hated what Team Plasma was doing!"

"No, he hated how they resorted to _violence_. I'm sure he preferred to chase them off the _non-violent_ way."

Miss Autumn sniffled again and wiped the tears from her eyes. "C-come to think of it…that N boy left when it was quite early. He said something about…being very late for an arrangement?"

"Aha! He's a _thief_!"

"No, he's not! Besides, all N has is a Zorua and the Pokémon were so adamant about staying, they beat up Team Plasma! So he can't be the culprit! Just let it—" Black trailed off. His eyes suddenly widened as he screamed, "AAAAAHHHH! White, Kaito's okay!" My brother took off towards a tree and ran behind it. At that moment, he chased out Kaito, who was running away from him. "What's the matter with you?! Stop running away from me like I'm one of the bad guys!"

"…Black, stop. I don't think this is _your_ Oshawott. Just look at it."

Black stopped running and the Oshawott did the same, looking a bit worried. "Hm… You're right. This isn't him. But still, it's the only one left. That's good. You could ask it if it saw what happened."

Miss Autumn stared at us in confusion. "What? Ask it? I doubt it'd be able to tell us anything we'd understand!"

I gulped. This Oshawott wasn't exactly friendly with Kaito yesterday…but Panacea was in trouble, and so were Black's Pokémon and several others. I couldn't wimp out now—no matter how frightened I was. I crouched down in front of the Oshawott and put Tiny down. "Um… Do you know what happened last night?"

"This morning."

"Huh?"

"I-it happened this morning. I know because…I saw the sun coming up." The Oshawott fidgeted. "I was the only one awake when some men in strange clothes came."

"They wore strange clothes?"

"Like those men from the night before."

"So it _was_ Team Plasma. Wait a minute! If you were awake, why didn't you _do_ something? Attack them, o-or make some noise?"

The Oshawott cringed. "B-b-because I couldn't! I'm a _weakling_! I am _useless_! I couldn't defeat anyone, let alone some humans, so I just hid like a _coward_!" She grabbed her scalchop shell and started to smack herself on the forehead. "No wonder my trainer didn't want meeee!"

"Whoa, whoa! What's the problem?!" Black exclaimed.

"I…think she's beating herself up—figuratively _and_ literally." I wasn't sure if I should try and stop her or not. I could already see a red bruise forming on her head already. "A-anyway, she says that it was Team Plasma who came and took them."

"Well, they _are_ called _Team_ Plasma…but who'd have thought there'd be more of them ready to do the same thing? And so soon?" My brother closed his eyes and scratched his head. "They'd have been hiding somewhere."

"…ave." I looked down at the mumbling Oshawott, who seemed to have finished punishing herself. "Th-they talked about…a cave."

"She says that they talked about a cave."

"Wellspring!" Miss Autumn suddenly exclaimed, making us both jump. "Wellspring Cave! I-it's at the end of the road. It's the only cave near here. Could that be it?"

"Could be… Let's get going! If we're lucky, they'll still be there!" Black exclaimed. He made to go and change, but I grabbed his arm.

I narrowed my eyes. "No. You don't have any Pokémon, remember?" I felt bad for pointing that out, but it was the truth. Without Pokémon, Black would be a sitting duck. "I'll…have to go alone."

Black started to frown and glare at me. "_What_? No! You can't go and face them all by yourself! All you've got is Tiny!" The Pichu stirred at the mention of his name. "We're going _together_ or _not at all_!"

"N-no," Miss Autumn spoke up, "You two shouldn't even be doing this. You're just kids! This is a job for the authorities!"

"It'll take too long! They might be gone by the time to cops get here! _Someone's_ gotta do something about this! Besides, they've got _our_ Pokémon, too! And we'll be there to look out for each other, so nothing bad will happen to us." My brother looked at me with a serious expression. "Right, White?"

"…Right." Thinking about it, I doubt I'd be able to go down a route and into a cave when wild Pokémon could pounce on me at any time. Black might've been useless in a battle, but he'd be able to keep me from fainting on the way there. "Don't worry, Miss Autumn. We'll make sure all the Pokémon are returned." Hopefully…

**X-X-X**

Minutes later, we were walking down Route 3 with a goal in mind that we would _hopefully_ accomplish. For most of the time, we remained silent. When a wild Pokémon would pop up out of the grass to confront us, Black would be my cheering section. Eventually, we reached a fork in the road with a sign: Nacrene City to the south, Wellspring Cave to the west. We continued on, the dirt path eventually becoming hidden by tall grass. I felt something brush up to my leg and I froze.

"M-my leg. Something's touching my leg, Black! Get it off, get it off...!" I whimpered.

Black approached me and crouched down. "Hang on. It's probably just a twig or… Hm? What're _you_ doing here? White, look who's here!" He stuck a flailing Oshawott in my face and my automatic reaction was to quickly step away from him. "It's the Oshawott from the daycare!"

"Ah! P-p-put me down! Please put me down!" The cowardly Oshawott cried.

"What're you _doing_ here?!" I snapped. "All of the other Pokémon already got stolen! Do you want Team Plasma to get you, too?!"

The Oshawott whimpered, as if _it_ was afraid of _me_. "I didn't do anything to stop them. And then you decided to go fight them on your own. I thought…I should pay for what I've done and c-come with you. But I'd understand if you don't want me around you. I'm a useless and cowardly weakling." You're certainly not cowardly if you followed us all this way.

"What's that? You wanna come with us?" Black made a spot on guess about what the Water type was saying. "Do you feel bad about what happened?" He looked at me. "If it wants to help, we ought to let it. Don't you think?" I wanted to be against this, but with only one Pokémon and who knows how many of Plasma's grunts would be there, we needed all the help we could get.

"Alright. You can come along. But you have to try and help us, okay?" I spoke as gently as I could to the Oshawott.

"I-I'll try not to get in the way, ma'am. Though I can't promise I'll be of any help."

Black gave a breath of relief. "At least our odds are better now." Yeah, with a fearful Oshawott, we have a 2 to 10 chance of success. "Look! I think I can see the cave entrance just over there." He ran further ahead, prompting me to run after him. When I finally caught up to my brother, he was staring into the mouth of Wellspring Cave. "It's kinda dark in there, but I can make out some things."

"What things?" I mumbled, gripping the strap of my bag.

"Looks like Woobats clinging to the walls." I gave a short squeak of fear. I knew about Woobats. Some nights in Nuvema Town, the Woobats would fly out from the darkness of the trees they spent the day in and cling to walls and windows. Each time I woke up to find one stuck on my window, I'd scream like they were Golbats trying to break in and suck my blood. "Relax! Woobats are harmless. They're mostly herbivores."

"_Mostly_?!"

"They'd sooner eat an Oran berry than you, so just _calm down_! Besides, you have Tiny. If one gets agitated and tries to attack, just zap them." Black then took my hand and led me inside, Tiny and the Oshawott walking beside us.

The light that shone into the entrance of the cave made the Woobats clinging to the stone walls as clear as day. A part of me actually wished that it was dark enough so I _couldn't_ see their round, pale-furred bodies twitching and rising as they breathed from their mouths. I tried to focus on the sound of the water that dripped from the ceiling instead of the sleeping Pokémon around us.

Black suddenly stopped walking. I would've opened my mouth to ask what he was doing and tell him to keep going, but I was afraid of waking up the Woobats. Then I heard what he had: the sound of voices. I couldn't really tell if they belonged to humans or Pokémon, though, but Black's expression was enough to suggest that they were Team Plasma's. Good! That meant they were still here and this trip wasn't a waste of time!

We continued on, trying to remain as quiet as possible. The closer we got, the louder the voices became.

"…pup… Zebstrika… Pidove… Pidove… Lillipup… Darmanitan…Lillipup… Geez, there's not much that sticks out amongst these," said one voice.

"Shut up and just keep checking them," said another.

"Fine. Pidove… Blitzle…Audino…"

At that moment, something fell from the ceiling and landed on my head. "AAAH—MMMPH!" The rest of my scream was muffled in time by Black, who'd placed his hand over my mouth.

"Eh? What was that?"

"Probably just the Woobats. Those things shriek like banshees over anything."

When we were certain that we hadn't been caught, my brother gestured for me to keep quiet as he removed something small and furry from my head with a grunt of effort. It turned out to be a small Woobat, somehow still asleep despite the fall. Gently as he could, Black managed to get the Bat Pokémon to stick to an empty section of the cave wall. He grabbed my hand and pulled my along yet again, out of the tunnel and into a wide cavern. Water droplets fell from the stalactite-covered ceiling and down into a portion of water so large, it didn't seem like it was made by years upon years of collecting water. The sight struck me with awe, and would've held my interest for a few more minutes if I hadn't seen the real reason we were there: the pair of Plasma members who were hovering over a sack.

"Hold it right there, you Pokémon thieves!" Black shouted loudly. I flinched as I heard the Woobats behind us wake up with alarming screeches and the sound of their wings flapping as they flew out of the cave. The pair of grunts were now glaring in our direction.

"Mm? What do you brats think you're doing here? And who do you think you're calling thieves?" The female member said with a scowl. "_We_ are with Team Plasma, and we're going to liberate Pokémon from the cruelty of trainers!"

"You say that, but just a moment ago, it sounded like you were making inventory of the Pokémon you stole!"

It was the male member's turn to get upset. "H-how dare you?! We're trying to save Pokémon! _You're_ the evil ones here!"

"Do you even know if they _want_ to be saved?" I spoke up, feeling upset enough to get brave. "Did you even ask them if they hated living with their trainers or being in the daycare?"

Both of the Plasma grunts began to fume. "Don't be ridiculous!" The woman snapped. "Of course they want to be free from human tyranny! So says our king!"

Black and I exchanged looks. "…Did they say they have a _king_? Not a boss, but a _king_?" I asked slowly.

"Yeah. They did," Black mumbled.

"Huh. These people are more ridiculous than we thought."

"Whoever their boss is, he must be an egomaniac or something to call himself a king."

"DON'T WHISPER AWFUL THINGS ABOUT OUR LORD!" The Plasma woman shrieked louder than any Woobat as she pointed an accusing finger at us. We were more frightened by the volume of her voice than her gesture, though.

The male grunt added, "Our king is blessed with the gift to understand the hearts of Pokémon. He can hear the cries of pain and anguish they make from being imprisoned by humans. The cries people like _you_ ig—" Before I knew it, I threw a rock that hit the man square in the forehead. "AH! You…little brat! You hit me!"

I frowned. "Yes, I did! Because I think _you're_ ignorant! You and your so-called king! You're all so gung-ho about _'liberating'_ and _'saving'_ Pokémon that you're only looking at one side and completely ignoring the other. Now _that's_ ignorant!"

"Ugh, why even bother trying to get through to you? You're just a pair of dumb kids! We should just do your Pokémon a favor and liberate them by force!" The two grunts each got out a Poké Ball and released a Pokémon from inside. The woman had a Woobat that gave a shrill cry and the man had a Patrat that glared at us intensely with its red and yellow eyes.

Tiny immediately ran in front of me. He already knew what we were about to get into. The Oshawott joined him at his side, although not looking as confident.

"Patrat is a Normal type that has very strong eyesight. And Woobat is a Psychic/Flying Type, so be on guard for Psychc attacks as well as Flying," Black explained.

"Patrat, use Sand Attack!"

"Woobat, use Gust!"

The Patrat got down on all fours and turned around. It started to kick up the dirt on the floor as the Woobat used its flapping wings to do the same, kicking up more dirt and dust at Tiny and the Oshawott. They sneezed and groaned as the dirt blinded them. The Water type took a deep breath before spitting out a stream of water in the direction of the Woobat. But the target didn't even need to move to avoid the attack.

"Tiny, use Thunder Shock!"

Sparks began to fly from Tiny's cheek sacs as electricity crackled around his body. "Ch-ch-ch-CHUUUUU!" He unleashed several jolts of electricity in the direction of the Patrat and the Woobat. Although the Bat Pokémon managed to dodge the attack, the rodent wasn't as fortunate and got shocked.

"Woobat, Confusion!" The female grunt ordered her Pokémon.

It started to flap its wings quickly as its body became enveloped in a pale blue aura. It made an annoying screeching sound as waves of psychic blue energy came off of it. The energy impacted against Tiny and sent him flying back to my feet.

"Ah! A-are you okay?" I couldn't help but ask. The Pichu immediately got back on his feet, cheeks crackling with electricity.

"AAAAHHH!" A scream came from the Oshawott. While I was paying attention to Tiny, the Patrat had managed to jump on her and was now biting down hard on her torso. The Water type flailed as the Patrat's teeth sank in deeper. The Woobat hovered overhead, flapping its wings. The Scout Pokémon jumped away to dodge the blast of wind, leaving the Oshawott to be blown over towards us. She stayed facedown, mumbling, "I knew it. I'm useless. I can't even beat a Patrat!"

I picked up the Oshawott and set her on her feet. "No! You're just not trying hard enough! What we need is teamwork!" I looked at the smirking Plasma grunts and their Pokémon. "First, a distraction. You don't need proper sight to use Charm, Tiny!"

The Pichu's eyes brightened and he began to hop from foot to foot, performing a little dance for his opponents. The Patrat's chubby cheeks became tinged pink as it watched Tiny dance. The Woobat attempted to use Gust, but all it did was make a short waft of wind that couldn't even move the dirt.

"Now then, you…" I looked down at the female Oshawott as my hand rifled through my bag. I pulled out a bottle of fresh, if warm, water, and opened it. "Let's wash the sand out of your eyes, okay?"

"I-I can do it myself…!" The Pokémon insisted even as I poured some water down her face. What she didn't use to wash her eyes, she swallowed, and it seemed to help her regain her breath.

"Feeling better?" I asked. The Oshawott nodded. "Good." I glanced at Tiny, who looked like he was tiring. "Now it's _your_ turn to be useful. First, employ a distraction. Then attack. Think you can handle it?"

The Oshawott gulped. "I'll…try." She ran over beside Tiny and turned around. She started to shake her behind, her tail flipping up and down. "Wooott~! Wott, Wott, Wooott~!" The Sea Otter Pokémon sang. The Woobat and Patrat's attention shifted from Tiny's dancing to her shaking tail.

The Plasma woman was shaking with rage. "Will you two _snap out of it and attack_?!" She shouted so loudly that wild Woobat even deeper inside the cave probably woke up from the noise. "And _you_," she spat at her comrade, "Make yourself useful!"

The man flinched at her harsh tone. "P-patrat, Tackle!"

The Patrat got on all fours yet gain and began to run towards Tiny and the Oshawott. "Tiny, use Thunder Shock!" The Pichu began to release jolts of electricity, but they missed either due to poor aiming or the Patrat's dodging skill. When it came closer, the Sea Otter Pokémon gave a fearful cry as she drew her scalchop shell and swung it down on the Patrat's head. The Normal type gave a cry of pain before it collapsed at her feet, unconscious. "You did it!"

The Oshawott opened her eyes and looked down at the fainted Patrat. "I…I won. I won! I am _not_ useless!" Before she could start celebrating, the otter grabbed hold of Tiny and pulled him aside, avoiding the blast of wind from the Woobat's Gust attack. With a glare, the Oshawott took a deep breath before spraying a stream of water at the bat. The attack hit it hard. It faltered, and even though it caught itself before it could come close to the ground, the Woobat looked like it was struggling to stay in the air. The Oshawott took advantage of the enemy's moment of weakness and flung her scalchop shell straight at the Woobat's nose. When it hit, the Woobat fell to the ground and twitched for a few seconds before fainting. "Wow! That was…amazing! I forgot just how amazing victory felt!"

"No way! We lost!" The male Plasma member shouted in disbelief as he returned his Patrat to its ball.

"This isn't over yet!" The female exclaimed, recalling her Pokémon as well.

"But we don't have any Pokémon left!"

"That doesn't matter! We won't let them lay a finger on any of those Poké Balls! Understand?"

Black and I shared a groan of annoyance. "Seriously? You guys are gonna continue to be annoying up to the very end? What're you going to do next: fight us yourselves?"

The female grunt snarled back, "_Yes_! If that's what it takes! Just because you beat us with brute force doesn't mean that you're right!" Oh, for goodness sakes! We didn't have the time for this—and I certainly didn't have the patience, either.

I looked down at Tiny and the Oshawott and gave what I hoped was a pleading look. The Pichu only looked up at me curiously, but the Oshawott seemed to understand what I was silently hinting at. She bent over to pick up her scalchop, took aim, and chucked it at the woman. It hit her right in the face with enough force to not only knock her out, making her fall over. The male grunt gave a shout of alarm, but before he could say anything, he was zapped by several jolts of electricity from Tiny, who seemed to have caught on.

"That wasn't the way I thought this would end…" Black mumbled. "Was that really the right thing to do? Using Pokémon to knock them out?"

"It's not like they were attacking to kill. Just enough to knock them out so we can take the Pokémon back," I explained. "Though I'm not sure what we should do with them. If we go and come back, I doubt they'll be here."

"The important thing is returning the daycare's Pokémon—and getting _ours_ back. So…as much as I hate to say it, let's just leave these guys here."

I sighed as we approached the two sack that the Plasma members had been hovering over. "I dunno… I feel like we should give them a taste of their own medicine. Maybe release their Pokémon. I'd love to see how they react to that."

Black gave me a stern look. "No. I'd rather prove them wrong by being a good trainer than have either of us stoop to their level." He looked inside of the sack and pulled out an odd-looking Poké Ball. It was black and white with the Team Plasma emblem on the top half. "Wow… They've even got their own Poké Ball. Though I'm still not sure how this thing even works."

"What do you mean?"

"When you catch a Pokémon in Poké Ball, something happens that prevents another trainer from catching it in _their_ Poké Ball. But this thing managed to capture Pokémon that were already captured. A normal Poké Ball alone is pretty high-tech stuff, but they must have _geniuses_ or something to make _these_ things!"

My twin and I glared at the ball in his hand. We both started to frown. "Wanna destroy these things as soon as possible?" I asked.

"The sooner the better." Black lifted up the sack and threw it over his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get outta here. I don't wanna be here when these guys wake up."

I crouched down and opened up my bag. "Come on. Hop in, you guys. You deserve a little rest." Tiny crawled inside of the bag and began making himself comfortable. The Oshawott got in next, poking her head out to stare at me as I ran to catch up with Black. I felt a little unnerved by her gaze. "S-something the matter?" The otter quickly bowed her head and began to mumble inaudibly. "What was that?"

"My old master said I was weak and useless. That I couldn't do anything. That's why he left me," she spoke softly as she began to play with her scalchop shell. "So I believed that. But you didn't think so. You thought I could be strong. It felt…nice" For a brief moment, her face looked like it was tinged with pink. "Th-thank you for believing in me…!"

"Oh. I didn't really _do_ anything, but you're welcome."

**X-X-X**

Much later, we returned to the daycare, where we released the Pokémon from those Plasma Balls and destroyed them. When the preschoolers arrived for school, they were none the wiser about what had happened earlier that morning. Miss Autumn was relieved not only because the Pokémon were returned, but because we were safe from harm. She'd been beside herself with worry, wondering whether or not she should call the police and tell them what had happened. I felt sort of bad for making such a nice woman miserable like that.

"Seriously, you two have been so helpful to me—to my family! You've saved my parents' business three times now!" Miss Autumn exclaimed. "Is there anything you two want from me? Maybe you want to adopt a Pokémon? Or maybe some eggs? The Pokémon here sometimes mate, and that results in Pokémon eggs, but the trainers that own those Pokémon usually only take one or two eggs with them."

"No, that's okay. There's no need to repay us," said Black. The moment he got back Kaito and Valentine, he let them sit on his shoulders. I wondered if he was trying to make _them_ feel better or himself. "We were just happy to help out. Anyway, we gotta be leaving now. We have to get to Nacrene City."

"WAIT!" A loud voice and the feeling of small paws on my leg made me freeze in place. I looked down and saw the female Oshawott looking up at me with sad, watery eyes. "Don't you want me? Don't you want to be my master?"

"Awww! It looks like that Oshawott's grown attached to you. How lovely," said Miss Autumn. She was practically gushing with happiness. "The poor thing's been miserable ever since her trainer abandoned her here. It's nice to see her acting like this for once." The preschool teacher looked at me. "Why don't you take her? Saying _'no'_ would only make her sad."

I looked down at the Oshawott again. Yup, she was still staring up at me with those sad eyes. She looked more like a begging puppy Pokémon than an otter. I sighed and reached into my bag for a Poké Ball. "Yay! Oh, thank you, master! I won't let you down!" She exclaimed happily. I swore I could've seen her tail wagging as I lightly tapped her head with the Poké Ball. In a flash of light, she disappeared into the ball. It didn't even bother to shake. It simply clicked and landed on the floor softly.

I bent over and picked up the ball. From inside of my bag, Tiny cooed and stared at the ball in awe. "_I'm_ the one who should be hoping I don't let you down," I mumbled to myself. "Here's hoping for a happy relationship."

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**Kaito is a Japanese name that can mean many things depending on kanji used, one being a combination of "ocean" (kai) and "soar/fly" (to). Valentine is a Latin-derived English name that means "strong, vigorous and healthy".**

**X-X-X**

**Review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own Pokémon or any of its characters. She only owns this story._

**X-X-X**

_~A Day in Nacrene~_

It had only been a few minutes after we'd left the Pokémon daycare when Black's Xtransceiver started to beep. He held the device up to his face. "Hello? Who's this?"

The other static-filled screen cleared up to show Professor Juniper's slightly peeved face. "There you are! I was getting worried! I tried calling you since yesterday, but you wouldn't pick up!"

Black blushed and smiled sheepishly at the professor. "Whoops! Sorry, Professor! Yesterday, me and White helped out at a Pokémon daycare, and I took off my Xtransceiver before I started to help out with the Pokémon. Guess I missed your calls…"

The professor's expression brightened. "Ohhh, so you visited a daycare! Did you see a lot of different Pokémon?"

"Mm, only a few. Most of the Pokémon were ones we'd already seen on the route here, but some came from as far as the desert. There was even an Oshawott there, but White said it was abandoned, so I guess it had a trainer?"

"Really? What a shame… I wonder if it was a Pokémon that was distributed in one of the other cities."

"In another city?"

"Yes, but unlike in Nuvema Town, where I can at least see what kind of trainers are receiving the Pokémon, all I have is the opinions of trainer school teachers and grades and whatnot. Things like that don't really mean the Pokémon given out will be taken care of. Speaking of caring for Pokémon, how are yours and White's? If the information I've gotten from your Pokédexes are correct, you've caught a Pidove, and White now has an Oshawott along with an Audino."

Black frowned. "Hmm, you're right! I'm trailing behind!"

"I'm aiming to catch Pokémon of every type, Black. You'll always be behind in terms of numbers unless you wanna catch almost twenty kinds," I pointed out. "Besides, it's not like we're competing. I'm not Cheren."

The Professor suddenly clapped her hands together. "Oh, of course! I almost forgot why I was calling you in the first place. Where are the two of you?"

"Route 3," we answered at the same time.

"Oh, good. Then you can meet up with Cheren and Bianca at the Pokémon Center in Nacrene City. Call me when you get there, okay? See you later!" And then the transmission cut off.

"I wonder why Professor Juniper wants us to go to Nacrene City?" I asked as I reached into my bag to pet Tiny. Instead, he evaded my hand and scurried up onto my shoulder to nuzzle up to my cheek, giving me a minor zap of electricity in the process.

"Who knows? That's the fun part of being given a Pokédex by a Pokémon Professor personally. It's like an invitation to help them with their research whenever and wherever!" Black exclaimed.

"But what's in Nacrene that's so important to her field of study?"

"Beats me. I'm just an aide. On the other side, we'll be meeting Cheren and Bianca again. It's only been a couple of days since we've last seen them, but I can't wait to meet up with them again."

**X-X-X**

A short walk later, we arrived in Nacrene City. Upon walking into the city limits, we saw warehouses and stalls on the side of the street where people were selling items. I had to drag Black away when he'd been pulled in by a person peddling skill-enhancing herbs and medicines at a ridiculous price.

"It says here that Nacrene is the home of artists, musicians, and the like. They mostly live in warehouses, which make up the majority of housing in the city," Black read from a small guide booklet to the places of Unova as we waked down the street. "There used to be a train station here, but a fire burned away it and several other buildings in town. Pinwheel Forest, which is to the west, grew over the remnants. There's also a museum that showcases the history of the people and Pokémon of the Unova region."

"The museum is also the site of the city's Pokémon gym, of which the Gym Leader is Lenora, who specializes in Normal types" We looked up and saw that we were at the Pokémon Center, and standing beside the entrance was Cheren. Lounging on his shoulder was what I guessed was the Pokémon he chose for his starting Pokémon. It was a small, green, snake-like creature with small hands and feet and a tail that ended in a leaf-shaped prong. Its light brown eyes observed us lazily, and I wondered if it was dangerous. I took out my Pokédex to scan the snake.

It was a Snivy. A Grass Snake Pokémon that was, obviously, a Grass type. According to its entry, it was intelligent and calm, and became faster when it's photosynthesized via its tail. It certainly sounded like a Pokémon that fit Cheren, at least in personality. Looking back at the Snivy, I saw that its eyes were closed. Was it sleeping? Good enough for me, I guess—snake Pokémon were dangerous regardless of the species.

"You two sure are slow. I've already beaten Lenora and gotten my second badge, Black. You won't be able to call yourself my rival at this rate," said Cheren.

My brother frowned. "Being faster doesn't make you a better trainer!"

The dark-haired boy smiled. "True, but the number of badges I have does, in a sense. I wanted to challenge you when we met again, but if you only have one, I don't think it would be a fair fight," he said, adjusting his glasses.

Black smirked. "You shouldn't say things like that when we haven't even battled, _Cheren_!"

Cheren smirked as well. "Is that your way of asking for a battle, _Black_?" His Snivy's eyes opened at those words.

I sighed as I watched Black take out a Poké Ball. "I can see where this is going… I'll be inside while you two do your rival thing." I moved between the two of them and entered the Pokémon Center. It was busy, with trainers standing at the front counter, buying things at the corner Poké Mart, or sitting down watching the TVs hanging from the ceiling. I made my way over to an empty corner and put Tiny down on the floor. Then I took out the Poké Balls in my bag and released Panacea and the newcomer Oshawott in front of me.

"Hello, Miss White," Panacea greeted me.

"Master! Do you have need of me?" The Oshawott asked with bright eyes.

"My name is White. And I don't really _need_ anything of you," the Water type deflated. "Right now, I mean! Uh… Since I've got the time, I figured I would name you now." I observed the Oshawott I was crouching down in front of. "…Shion. That'll be your name from now on. It means _'the sound of tides'_. Fitting, isn't it?"

"Yes, master."

I winced at the title. "Uh, you don't have to call me that. Call me White. _Just_ White."

Shion's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? Why? You're my master. You're the one who's going to train me and teach me how to become a strong warrior. Anything else is disrespectful of your kindness!"

I scratched my head. "Well…because I have my own goals aside from helping you get stronger." I'm not sure when I agreed to help her with _that_ anyway, but I figured she simply meant battling and training like most trainers and their Pokémon. "I have a goal to befriend many different kinds of Pokémon. So I want to be friends with you. We can't be close if you're calling me _'master'_ all the time, so we'll call each other by our names. You can call me White and I'll call you Shion, and we can be friends."

"And being friends is…okay?"

"Of course it is. Trainers and Pokémon can be friends if both sides want to. So…do you want to?"

Shion paused and fiddled with her scalchop nervously. "Um…i-if it's okay with you, then it's okay with me…Wh-White."

I smiled. "Good. And _their_ names are Panacea and Tiny," I said, introducing the Audino and Pichu.

"Friend!" Tiny started to hug and nuzzled up to Shion. "Chuuu~!"

"Um… N-nice to meet you, too," the Oshawott greeted, patting him on the head.

"Now what will we do, Miss White?" Panacea asked.

I looked over at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. "All we can do is wait until Bianca arrives. Or Black and Cheren finish their battle." I looked up at one of the TVs and sighed. "I guess we'll pass the time by watching TV."

Shion pouted. "Couldn't we do something more timely? Like training?"

"There isn't much we can do while waiting. And I don't wanna run off when everyone else isn't here yet." I might have, but I didn't have an Xtransceiver of my own to keep in touch. "Try and bear with me, okay? I promise I'll train you…eventually."

**X-X-X**

"I'm so sorry I was late! I-I was shopping in one of the warehouse districts and…got lost…"

"Uh, Cheren and I were having a battle and it kinda stretched on for longer than we expected. Sorry."

"We're both sorry, professor."

On her part of the screen on the Xtransceiver, Professor Juniper smiled wryly. "I see… Well, I suppose I should have expected something like this to happen… Anyway, today I'm going to teach you about a more social aspect of the Pokémon Center: the Global Link!"

"Global Link?" We all repeated.

"Trainers across the world can be connected through the Global Link system. Think of it like an Internet forum. People can put up topics about different things, post pictures, keep in touch with other trainers and all that nice stuff. The only difference is that the Global Link can also be used to trade Pokémon with other people across the world or to send Pokémon to others anywhere there is a Global Terminal," the professor explained. "Some Pokémon evolve when they're exposed to the effects of being transferred, just so you know."

"Oooh! It all sounds so neat!" Bianca beamed.

"I'm glad you think so, because I'd like you to use the Global Link system to test out your knowledge. Now, all registered trainers have an account on the Global Link. I've sent you each a message with the ID number of an acquaintance of mine with an item attached to them. When you forward the message to that particular account, you'll receive a lovely gift in exchange: a rare and foreign Pokémon!"

"A Pokémon? I wonder what it could be?" Black spoke in awe, his eyes shining at the thought.

"Oh, you'll find out if you do it properly. But I'm sure it's not _too_ hard to figure out. Call me when you've all received your gifts!"

As soon as the transmission ended, Black and Bianca darted off to the second floor. Cheren and I walked with my Pokémon close behind. We were eventually guided by a nurse to the room where the Global Link terminals were set up. Rows of PCs were set up with trainers doing their business on them. By the time Cheren and I entered to room, Black and Bianca had already found four free computers that were next to each other. We sat down and logged onto our accounts. In a few minutes, we were on the front page of Global Link.

"Oooh! Look at that! Someone's offering a cute pink Pokémon in Kanto!"

"Focus, Bianca. Professor Juniper gave us a task to finish," Cheren reminded the blonde. "Besides, you'll be getting a foreign Pokémon soon enough."

"R-right… But I can't resist that Wigglytuff…!" Bianca swooned.

"Ah! Miss White, is that a Pokémon? It looks just like a balloon!" Panacea exclaimed, pointing at a picture of something called Drifloon.

"Ooooh!" Tiny jumped onto the desk and began to tap the picture of a Raichu.

"Like that? If I get my hands on a Thunder Stone, you might evolve into one later on," I told him with a smile. "Now, I just click this…and this…and enter this number…forward the message…" Within a few seconds, I received a new message in my email account. It said I had received a new Pokémon in my storage box: an Eevee. From the squeal of delight coming from Bianca, I guess she got one, too.

"Wow! An Eevee! Those are amazing! They can evolve into so many things!" Black exclaimed.

"They're genetic wonders," Cheren added. "I'm surprised someone is willing to give them away."

"It says their original trainer was someone named Bill. Thank you, Bill!" Bianca said with a smile.

"Eevee is a Normal type…" I mumbled to myself. "But it can evolve into a lot of different types. I'm not even sure which I should choose." I looked down at the rest of my Pokémon, who were still awed by the screen of the PC. "Though before it evolves, I think I should get over the types I already have."

"Oh! I have an idea!" Bianca looked at me. "After this, why don't we all go out to eat? I saw this nice little restaurant while I was walking around."

"Ooh, that sounds great. We haven't even had breakfast yet, so I'm pretty hungry," I said with a smile.

"No thanks. I'm going to train for a bit in the forest outside of town," Cheren said as he got on his feet and pushed the chair in.

"What?! But we promised we'd all hang out together!" Said the blonde girl.

Our dark-haired friend sighed and looked sorry. "I'm sorry, Bianca, but I'm on a schedule. I want to get as strong as possible for the Gym Leader in Castelia City. Maybe next time." He quickly left the room.

"Um…" Black looked hesitant to speak as he got up. "I'm, uh…gonna have to take a rain check, too, Bianca. I gotta train hard if I wanna stand a chance against Lenora. B-but next time we meet, I'll totally pay for your meal! You can hold me to that!" He exclaimed as he ran out of the room.

Bianca pouted and looked down at the keyboard before her sadly. "Ohhh…!"

I tried to cheer the blonde girl up. "Hey, it's not the end of the world. So what if they've got some things to take care of? This just means we can pig out as much as we want without either one of them making smart comments!" I saw a bit of a smile appear on her face, which got me smiling as well. "Now, let's go so we can get ourselves a good table or something, hm?"

"Yeah! Oh, wait. First, we should take our new Pokémon out of our Pokémon storage boxes. I wanna meet mine as soon as possible, don't you?"

"Oh, right. I can't believe I almost forgot…"

**X-X-X**

Minutes later, we were seated at a table outside on the veranda of a place called the Café Warehouse. Bianca and I had yet to order, mainly because she was too busy cooing over our Pokémon. "Awww, aren't you just adorable?" Sure, they _looked_ adorable—until they were aggravated. Then they'd probably bite your head off. Mine was a female with brown fur and a little ruffle of cream-colored fur around her neck and at the tip of her tail, while Bianca's male Eevee strangely had fur in light and dark shades of white. They both stared up at us, mine with a cheerful-looking expression and Bianca's with a wary one. "It's so hard to imagine that just about anything can make them evolve into something completely different!"

"Not _anything_, but it's true. They might have as many evolutions as there are types of Pokémon. Maybe even more, really." Okay, now I was actually intimidated of the little things. What would happen if mine evolved into something that Pokédex had no information on? What the heck would I do then? Probably die of shock…

At some point, Tiny had jumped down from my lap and next to the pair of Eevee. "Hi, friend!" He greeted.

"Hi there!" The brown Eevee spoke.

"Hi…" The white one mumbled shyly.

I tapped my fingers nervously on the menu in front of me. "Uh, why don't we send out the rest of our Pokémon? They've got some food here for Pokémon, too."

Bianca's eyes brightened and she started to dig through her bag for her Poké Balls. "Oh, yeah! I'm sure Tepig and Lillipup would love to eat something they didn't find on the ground! N-not that I let them eat garbage or anything! They just have a bad habit of finding uneaten candy bars and berries and stuff on the ground and then eating them. I don't know what's weirder, the fact that they can do that or the fact that people leave things like that out in the open. I worry that maybe _I'll_ drop something from _my_ bag and some Pokémon will come along and pick it up. You ever worry about that?"

"Nope. But I think I might now." By that time, I'd already released Panacea and Shion, who were getting acquainted with their new team member.

"Oh. Well, I guess it's because I've got more stuff to lose." Maybe you _should_ lose some stuff if it's taking this long to find your Poké Balls. "Here they are~!" Bianca held up three Poké Balls in their shrunken state. One by one, she released her Tepig, Lillipup and Munna. I jumped in my seat when the Lillipup's first action was to run up to my feet and start barking. By sheer instinct, I pulled my feet up onto the chair seat, not caring if it attracted looks from the other patrons. Bianca immediately grabbed hold of her Pokémon and placed him down next to her. "Um, could you try not to do that to White? She's pretty…jumpy when it comes to things like that."

Her Lillipup flattened its ears against its head as it whimpered, "Sorry…"

"I'm so sorry, White."

"I-it's okay, really," I tried to brush it off, at least on the surface. I kept my eyes off of Bianca's Lillipup and focused on my menu. "So, what will you guys have? They have Sweet Pecha Delight, Bitter Rawst Blast, Dry Chesto Crunch, Sour Aspear Supreme, and Spicy Pomeg Surprise."

"Sweet!" Panacea and Shion exclaimed together.

"What about you, Tiny?" I asked, holding the menu down for him to see. He sniffed at the menus for a few seconds before pointing at the image of a pastry with a Chesto berry next to it. "You sure? It's not an Oran, you know."

"O…ran," he repeated as he nodded.

I sighed. I guess I'd have to eat it for him if he didn't want it. I looked at the Eevee and moved the menu in front of her. "What about you? What do you want?"

"Uh, me? You're talking to me?" She asked looking up at me in confusion.

"Well, I'm your new trainer. Part of the job is feeding you. So what'll it be?"

The Eevee stared at the menu with intensity. "Mmm, I want _this_ one!" She patted the picture of the pastry with a Pecha berry next to it.

Minutes later, we were all enjoying our respective meals. The Pokémon were eating berry-flavored berries and while Bianca and I were enjoying our respective breakfasts. Between bites, Bianca would talk about the things she'd seen in Nacrene so far and the people she met, and I would wordlessly nod every couple of minutes. I'd been so into what she'd been saying about the museum in town that I didn't pay attention to what Tiny was doing.

"Wuh…Weird…Weirdo! Weirdo!" The Pichu exclaimed from his spot on my lap. My fork hovered above piece of French toast. He couldn't have been talking about— No, no way! Not so soon again! Tiny continued waving to someone who couldn't possibly be N because my luck wasn't _that_ rotten.

Bianca gasped and leaned forward. "White! There's this cute guy staring in our direction!" She whispered excitedly. "…Ooh-ooh-ooh! He's coming over here! Y-you don't think he's going to try and flirt with us?"

I almost gave a dry laugh. "Uh, I don't think so…" Not if it was who I hoped it wasn't.

"Hello, White," came N's voice. I cringed as Bianca gave me a surprised look. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Oh, the feeling is mutual.

"Um, you know him, White?"

"Yeah, I do." Unfortunately. "We met in Striaton City." And he's been bugging me and Black ever since. I looked at the green-haired teen with what I hoped was a neutral expression, but I quickly changed to one of fear when I noticed Tiny offering food to a black and blue-colored tadpole Pokémon that was in N's arms. I looked down and immediately regretted it, because I found myself staring at several more Pokémon who were giving me less than friendly looks.

"Um, White? Aren't you going to introduce us to each other, or…?" Bianca trailed off.

"Bianca, N. N, Bianca. Now please leave us alone," I muttered quickly.

"Hello there." N's greeting wasn't towards Bianca, but to the Pokémon he'd never met before.

"Hi!" My Eevee greeted cheerfully, not caring about the bits of food in her fur.

"Hello…" Shion spoke warily. "White, is this guy safe? He's staring at me like he wants to pick a fight." I sighed, not really sure how to answer.

"I remember you from the daycare. What are you doing here?"

The Oshawott grabbed onto my leg defensively, which made me flinch and freeze up. "Wh-White is my master and trainer now! I will defend her if you try something shady!"

"Not _master_! I'm your _friend_! And l-let go of my leg!" I complained. I didn't need to look at N to know he was wearing that judging look of his. I could practically feel his eyes on me, but he continued talking to Shion and Eevee.

"How do you like being with White so far?"

"Who?" The Eevee asked.

"_Her_," Shion answered, pointing up at me.

I growled under my breath as I gripped my fork. "Can you _not_ do your little trainer judging thing so early in the morning?" Or else I'll throw my silverware at you. I'll do it, too, you preachy jerk.

"Okay."

I blinked in surprise. I didn't have to make threats that time to get him to stop. I was so stunned, I didn't notice that he walked onto the veranda until he sat in the chair next to me. I scooted my chair closer to Bianca and narrowed my eye. "D-don't be rude! You can't just join us all of a sudden!"

"Um, it's okay, White. He's not really causing any trouble," said Bianca. N started to stare at her blankly. My blonde friend's reaction was to fidget under his gaze. Feeling defensive, I leaned over so that I was blocking Bianca from his sight. It seemed to work because the green-haired teen started to look down at the Pokémon in his hands. "Oh, what's that?" Bianca asked from behind me. She soon had her Pokédex out—quicker than she got out her Pokémon, amazingly—and scanned it. "Tympole, the Tadpole Pokémon. It vibrates its cheeks to create sound that is…imperceptible to humans. It uses these sounds to talk to and warn others of danger." Her eyes lit up as she stared at the Tympole. "It's just so adorable~!"

Yet again, N wore his judging expression. This time, it looked like he was staring at Bianca's Pokédex, which was next to my face. "You _also_ have a Pokédex."

"Oh, yeah! I got it from Professor Juniper herself, just like White."

"Hm… Do you know about Team Plasma?"

I leaned back to take a look at Bianca. She was wearing a small frown and started hugging her Tepig closer to her. "Team Plasma? I dunno… They didn't _seem_ like nice people that one time I met them. They hurt a Munna and said it was okay because it would help them liberate Pokémon but…if you hurt the people you say you want to help, it's not good, right?"

"…And are your feelings about them the same, White?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Do you really have to ask? They steal Pokémon. They _hurt_ Pokémon. They've even got some crazy king telling them that all of that is okay so long as it leads to _'liberating'_ Pokémon."

Bianca's mouth opened in awe. "A king? They have a king?"

"According to them, he can hear the hearts of Pokémon. He's probably just some conman tricking people into releasing their Pokémon so he can catch them later. Maybe so he can sell them or poach them or something."

"That's _terrible_! Why would someone do such a thing to Pokémon?!"

"For money, of course. Or maybe he's one of those extremists." I turned around to better look at Bianca, completely forgetting about N. "Once, I read about this little group of protesters that burned down a center for breeding Pokémon because they considered it sick and twisted how Pokémon were made to mate together just to make an egg. It not only resulted in deaths of some of the staff, but also the Pokémon they were trying to help. Did they say they were sorry about it? No. Because they thought they were doing something good and said it was a necessary sacrifice to spread their message, like a bunch of jerks."

The blonde girl shivered and hugged Tepig closer to her. "Y-you don't think Team Plasma would do that? They wouldn't try and hurt Pokémon and their trainers just to liberate them, right?"

I sighed. "If they beat up a Munna, they'd probably go that far." Saying it out loud suddenly made me fear Team Plasma almost as much as I hated them.

"No, they wouldn't!" N raised his voice, making himself known while making me—and some other people on the veranda—jump in surprise. "Team Plasma isn't like that! They wouldn't hurt Pokémon like that! Not like what _you're_ saying!"

"They're the same people who hurt Bianca's Munna just to get dream mist and complete some crazy scheme, and they used illegal means to _capture_ other trainers' Pokémon instead of freeing them like they always say they do!"

"You're lying!"

"I am not!"

"You're just making these accusations because you grew up with a biased point of view. Team Plasma is _not_ some group of vicious monsters like you make them out to be! They're heroes, and even if some are zealous and passionate, it's with the best of intentions for Pokémon!" He spoke quickly, but thankfully clearly. "I thought you would understand, being someone like me… It's such a waste of your gift to be so closed-minded."

"_I'm_ closed-minded?! You're only defending them because they claim they want to help Pokémon! They're criminals and hypocrites who'd probably kill a person or a Pokémon and say that it was for _'the greater good'_!" I wasn't sure when N had gotten to his feet, or when I got to mine, but we were both standing and glaring at each other. "…I don't even know why I'm even bothering trying to argue with you!" I shouted, completely ignoring how the Tympole in N's arms shuddered or how his Zorua growled at me. I was too mad to be afraid. "If you don't enjoy the company of trainers like us to begin with, just go join Team Plasma and leave me alone, you jerk!" When N didn't say anything in response, I just stomped off, not really caring where I ended up so long as it wasn't near _that guy._

**X-X-X**

A short while later, I found myself sitting on the edge of a Panpour fountain that was spurting water out of the head. Tiny was resting on my lap, too full from eating to move much, and the others had been returned to their respective Poké Balls to rest as well. I'd wound up bailing on Bianca in the process of walking out on N. "Geez, I'm a lousy friend. Though it's not _entirely_ my fault, right?" I asked both Tiny and myself. "If N hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have gotten as mad as I did, and I'd probably be enjoying desert with Bianca right now." She had to have been _mad_. As unlike her as it sounded, I think I'd deserve a tongue-lashing from the normally nice girl. Not to mention how I left her with a bill…

"Piiii…" Tiny squeaked and nuzzled into my stomach.

"I don't know why I bothered with that guy… He's so set on believing that nonsense that Team Plasma feeds to people! He doesn't realize those guys aren't the sort of people who should be admired. But you understand what sort of awful people they are, right, Tiny?" He yawned in reply. "Ah, well… I'm sure we'll never run into him again... Good riddance." I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I cringed. I shouldn't have tempted fate. "Go away! I don't wanna talk to you anymore! It only ends with me having a headache."

"What?! But White, I've been looking for you _everywhere_! Well, maybe not everywhere, but a _lot_ of places!" I turned my head to look at Bianca's pouting face.

"Oh, Bianca! I'm sorry! I thought you were that jerk N trying to talk with me again." I suddenly remembered what I did. "I'm sorry I walked out and left you with the bill. I'll pay you back—I promise!"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not! I don't wanna be a mooching dine-and-dasher! Let me pay you back."

Bianca smiled. "It's okay, really. I was too worried about you to care about the bill, anyway."

"I'm sorry for that, too."

The blonde girl sat down next to me on the fountain, careful that she didn't fall in. She then looked at me, smiling brightly. "To be honest, I'm sort of glad you just walked away. I thought you were gonna punch that M guy in the face."

"His name is N, Bianca." And now I wish I _did_ punch him.

"You looked _so scary_! He was taller than you and he practically shrank to the size of a Joltik when you started yelling!"

I sighed. "No, he didn't. He just…stared at me, like he always does." But how I wish I _did_ scare him. Maybe scare him straight so he abandons his pro-Plasma feelings. "Geez, I can't stand that guy! He thinks I should share his views just because we both can understand Pokémon. Doesn't that sound stupid?"

Bianca tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips in thought. "Um…shouldn't you? Wait, you _shouldn't_! I-I mean…people can share one similarity or two, and still be totally different from each other. That's what makes people interesting! And that L guy was definitely interesting… He said he was all for Team Plasma, but he still had all his Pokémon!"

"I _know_! And he told me that he hated Pokémon battles and gyms, but he's going around challenging them. He's such a hypocrite! A jerk and a hypocrite!"

"And cute." I gave my blonde friend a skeptical look. She wasn't blushing, but she _was_ giggling. "What? Come on, didn't you think _once_ that he looked kinda cute?" I narrowed my eyes and growled under my breath. Bianca just laughed, "Although he _is_ kinda weird."

I only sighed and shook my head. "Can we just _not_ talk about N in _any_ sense right now?"

"Okay. We won't talk about W anymore."

I almost fell back into the fountain while choking back a laugh. "Okay! Okay, now I _know_ you're doing this on purpose! W doesn't even sound remotely close to N! It's not even close in terms of the alphabet!" I picked up Tiny and managed to slip him inside of my bag without waking him, then I got to my feet and placed my hands on my hips. "Alright, Bianca. What's next on the agenda?"

Bianca stared up at me, confused. "Huh? Agenda?"

"I'm not gonna wait around for Black to finish his training. Let's explore Nacrene! I doubt I'm gonna be back here any time soon." Really, all I wanted to do was forget about that encounter with N, but my excuse fooled Bianca. She got on her feet and took my hand, going on about warehouse shopping and whatnot as she dragged me off to another part of the city.

**X-X-X**

We spent the remainder of the day shopping in town. Occasionally, Bianca would become attracted by some thing or other and be enticed to buy it and I would have to stop her. Stopping her buying such weird things as scented charcoal logs and dragon fang earrings didn't make me completely forget about the encounter with N, but being preoccupied certainly made me feel better.

"Say, if you've got time, maybe we could hang out tomorrow, too!" Bianca struck up a conversation on our way back to the Pokémon Center.

"And do _what_? We've pretty much gone everywhere, save the museum." And knowing Bianca, it might be the last place she would want to go. Bianca was really weird when it came to learning things: some things caught her interest, but similar things didn't. Thinking about it now, it was a shame. It'd probably be more interesting to see it in person than read about it in a book.

"We could go on a nature walk!" Bianca exclaimed, beaming. "Pinwheel Forest is right outside of the city."

"A forest? Inhabited with wild Pokémon that could jump out at us from any direction? That we could possibly _get lost in_?!" I asked with an increasing tone of urgency.

"It's okay! There's a road made to help people cross safely without having to encounter wild Pokémon, so I'm sure not too many will jump out at us."

"_Any_ wild Pokémon jumping out at us is too many! No! I'm not going in there ever!"

Bianca stared at me in confusion. "So…how are you going to get to Castelia City? You have to go through the forest to get there." I gave a whimper. An open route was one thing, but a forest was as bad as a cave! Who knows what sorts of terrifying Pokémon would jump out or fall down or… Ugh! The thought was disturbing! Bianca patted my shoulder. "Don't worry, White! If any Pokémon pop out looking for a fight, I'll be your hero and protect you!"

I sighed and shook my head. "Alright…" At least if I explore it once, I'll be able to go through it a second time with little fear. …Well, slightly _less_ fear. "I wonder if Black's back yet… It's starting to get dark."

"Aw, Black'll be okay. He has his Pokémon with him. And I'm sure he wouldn't go wandering around at night just to train." Or maybe he _would_, and I would worry myself witless over him possibly being killed by some wild Pokémon in the middle of nowhere and being told about it by a policeman or something. No, Black can be stupid at times, but he's not reckless…intentionally.

"Aha! _There_ you two are!" Amazingly enough, it was Black running towards me with Cheren in tow. "There you are! Where the heck have you been, White? I was looking for you everywhere!" Cheren gave him a pointed look. "I mean, _we've_ been looking for you everywhere."

"Sorry, I… Wait. I don't have to be sorry! You knew I was with Bianca the whole time!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I ran into N when I came back to town to heal my Pokémon and he said you acted unreasonable and stormed outta some restaurant. Can you blame me for being worried about you getting into trouble?"

"_Unreasonable_?! That jerk! I'll kick him where the sun don't shine if he dares to show his face in front of me again!"

"I feel sorry for him then. Anyway, check this out!" Black held up a Poké Ball and released a Pokémon from. It was a blue otter-like Pokémon with a tuft of hair that stuck up behind it like a ponytail, thin whiskers, and a pair of scalchop shells that were attached to a piece of dark blue fur that practically looked like clothing wrapped about its waist. "Ta-daaa! Meet Kaito the Dewott!" Kaito posed with his paws on his hips.

"Kaito? So that's his evolved form?" I asked, staring and taking in Kaito's new appearance. I must've been staring too much, because the Water type started to blush and look down sheepishly.

"D-don't stare! I'll blind you with my awesomeness or…!" He trailed off, murmuring things under his breath.

Cheren looked somewhat sour about it all. "I don't get it. I've been training my Snivy just as hard, haven't I? He should've evolved by now, too."

"Who can say? Maybe Kaito just wanted it more," said Black, still grinning like an idiot.

"By the way, Cheren, didn't you say you were going to leave for Castelia City today? Why are you still around?"

He looked off to the side, folding his arms across his chest. "I just wanted to battle Black again if he wins his battle against Lenora tomorrow."

"If?!" My brother and his Dewott exclaimed at the same time.

"You have as much of a chance at losing as you do of winning. It's not like I said _'when you lose'_."

"In case you forgot, I won our last battle!"

"You won against two tired Pokémon. You shouldn't sound so proud about that."

"Please!" I groaned, holding up my hand to stop the two. "Save your arguing for tomorrow morning. For now, I wanna go to bed. I'm exhausted…"

"Aw, but it's so early! There's still so much to do!" Bianca exclaimed.

"I already told you, I'm not going to check out some warehouse nightclub just because you think it sounds awesome."

"A nightclub?! Bianca, really! I doubt you're even old enough to enter one," Cheren pointed out.

Black looked at our pouting blonde friend, then at me. "Was it _really_ that bad?"

I yawned loudly. "T-trust me, you don't wanna know…"

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**Shion is a Japanese name that means "sound of tides" and is also the name of a kind of Aster flower. Eve is an English name that originated from the Hebrew name Eva and means "to live" or "to breathe", and rather than the obvious reference to the Biblical Eve, it is a reference to Mitochondrial Eve, the woman from whom modern humans descended from on their mother's side.**

**In BW2, Amanita gives the player an Eeevee if they complete certain things. She says that she received it from a friend in Kanto, hinting it to be Bill—who did the same thing in the Johto-based games.**

**X-X-X**

**Remember to review for Blu and Pichu!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Pokémon series. She just owns this little fan story._

_Summary: At Bianca's insistence, White goes with her on what was supposed to be a simple walk in Pinwheel Forest. Instead, it turns into a hunt for a thieving Snivy._

**X-X-X**

_~Just a Nature Walk~_

Well…here I was. Standing on the outskirts of Nacrene City, glaring at the way into Pinwheel Forest. I was supposed to be meeting Bianca inside, but when I saw the forest's entrance, I couldn't help but remain rooted to the ground in fear of the entrance that looked like a gaping maw. I didn't even pay mind to the fact that I was standing in the middle of a dirt path where I could've been jumped by wild Pokémon and trainers looking for a fight.

"Whatcha looking at?"

"Ah!" I jumped, frightened by a suddenly voice. I looked down and saw that it was Eve, my recently named Eevee. "Wh-what are you doing out of your ball?!"

"I got bored," Eve answered simply before she heard a rustling in the grass. She started walking towards it, but I grabbed hold of her and picked her up off the ground. "Heeey! Put me down! I wanna go look at stuff!"

"You're not gonna just run off into the grass like that! You could get hurt!"

"No, I won't! I'm really careful!" I somehow doubted that. "C'mon, lemme goooo!" She whined like a little kid as she squirmed in my hands. A part of me was worried that she would resort to biting just to get out of my grasp.

"Look, just get inside of your ball."

"Nooooo!"

At this point, Tiny was poking his head out of my bag. "Friend?" He crawled out of the bag and jumped down onto the ground. "Friend?" He repeated, staring up at Eve as his ears twitched.

I sighed. I felt like a mother who had to deal with overly energetic kids. "Look… I'll let you stay out of your ball if you just promise not to wander out of my sight."

Eve stopped squirming in my hands and looked up at me, smiling. "Okay!" She answered cheerfully. I sighed and put her down next to Tiny, who started to rub his cheek against her face, raising her fur with his static electricity.

"Whiiiite~!" I turned around at the sound of Bianca's voice. She was running towards me, waving. "Hey, there! Did I keep you waiting for long?" I shrugged in response. I was so into just glaring at the forest that I didn't even notice how long I was waiting for her. "Well, are you ready?" I wasn't, but I nodded anyway. The blonde girl smiled. "Great! Y'know, I thought I'd have to drag you out here. I'm happy you decided to come on your own!" Well, if I hadn't, it would just make you sad to get blown off for a third time. "Well, here we go!" She walked forward, but suddenly stopped and turned to look at me. She stared at me for a few seconds before she walked up to me, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into the forest.

**X-X-X**

The moment we set foot inside of Pinwheel Forest, I clung to Bianca like a Joltik clinging to its host. The canopy of tree leaves overhead only allowed a few small rays of light to shine down, though it was still easy to see. Before us was a dirt path where a few people were walking up and down, probably heading to either Nacrene or Castelia City.

"Isn't this amazing, White?" Bianca asked. I gave her a skeptical look. It was just forest. We had a smaller one in Nuvema Town, though I never had the courage to go into it. I'm pretty sure Bianca's parents, overprotective as they were about her, wouldn't let her go off into a forest teeming with wild Pokémon…like we were now.

"Ooooh! What's this?" The sound of Eve's voice gained my attention. I saw her and Tiny standing in front of a sign.

"What do you think you're doing?! I said stay by my side!" I let go of Bianca and ran up to them.

Eve and Tiny looked up at me innocently. "What is this?"

"A sign. …It looks pretty new." I started to read the sign, "Caution: a wild Snivy has been spotted, attacking and stealing from trainers on the road. It is recommended that you be alert. …WHAT?!" I screamed loudly. For a brief moment, the forest fell silent.

"What is it, White?" Bianca asked, walking over to me. "…Ooh, a Snivy! I thought you could only get one from Professor Juniper. Then again, she did say that it was _rare_, so maybe you could find a few in the wild…"

"_That's_ what caught your attention?! What about the part that says there's a Pokémon that'll jump out of the grass to _attack and steal from trainers_?!"

"Yeah, like that one there!" Eve spoke up.

"…What?" I looked down and noticed a sight that made my blood run cold. Standing next to my foot was a weird-looking Snivy. Its skin was a bluish shade of green and its brown eyes were glaring right at Eve. One of its vines was inside of my bag while another was inside of Bianca's. How could I not have noticed that?

Before Bianca could give a cry of protest or I could just cry, the Snivy jumped back, each of its vines holding something tightly. I could easily recognize the thing from my bag: a plain old sandwich bought from the cafeteria in the Pokémon Center. The thing from Bianca's bag looked like a snack cake.

"H-hey, you can't take those! Give 'em back! If you're hungry, I'd be willing to share!" Bianca tried to plead with the thieving Pokémon.

"Ah! I-it doesn't matter, Bianca. They're just sandwiches! There's no reason to risk our lives over them!" The Snivy said nothing, nor did it make an attempt to give our food back. It just glared at us as a thick pink mist began to rise from it. It wafted towards us with its intense, sweet-smelling scent and my fears and worries seemed to drift away. I didn't care that we were being attacked by a wild Pokémon. I felt unusually relaxed. Unnaturally so. And yet… "That…smells nice…"

"Yeah…! Reeeeally nice~!" Bianca swooned.

"Nice…!" Tiny parroted.

"It smells like flowers!" Eve exclaimed.

"Yeah…" I agreed, taking a deep breath. We stood there in total bliss and sweet-smelling mist until I heard a voice.

"Hey! What the heck do you weirdoes think you're doing?! You're blocking the road!" A very _irritated_ voice that spoke with a hint of an accent.

"Mmm… What? I…" I blinked. When did I get on my knees? Better question: when did this angry-looking girl show up? I was in such a daze, all I could do was stare at her and take in her features: her long brown hair kept in place by her white hat with the red Poké Ball symbol, her irritated-looking brown eyes, her sleeveless aqua blue shirt, her red skirt, her white and red sneakers with the baggy blue socks…

"Hey! My face is up here! You weirdo…!" I blinked as my head started to clear up. "Geez, you _reek_ of Sweet Scent! It's a wonder you haven't been assaulted by some wild Pokémon."

"Wh…What? Sweet Scent?" I heard Bianca speak up. She was also on her knees, her eyes wide with surprise about our position.

"You don't know what Sweet Scent is? What losers…" I heard her mutter under her breath. I stared up at her, but she didn't seem to care about paying attention to me just then. The brunette girl simply folded her arms across her chest and explained, "Sweet Scent is a Pokémon move that makes anyone who smells it become relaxed to the point where they don't notice anything." The way she spoke was as if she considered us little kids. "Meaning _you_ idiots were dumb enough to smell it."

"Hey! It's not like we knew we _shouldn't_ smell it!" I snapped, suddenly annoyed with this girl. "And it's not like we just happened upon it, either! We were attacked…by…that Snivy!" I suddenly remembered the Grass Snake Pokémon and started to look around in a frantic panic. "Oh my gosh! I-is it still here?! _Please_ don't let it be here!"

I heard the girl mumble something and suddenly fall silent. I looked up and was surprised to find a Pokédex in her hands. She turned the Pokédex around and showed me the electronic image of a typical, normal-looking Snivy with a smug expression on its face. "This it?"

Before I could question her, Bianca spoke up, "Um, the one _we_ met looked a little different, but yeah… Is that a Pokédex?"

The brunette girl smirked. "Ya like it? I bet this is the first time you've ever seen one up close."

"Actually, I have one. We both do, actually." Yeah, so take _that_, little miss uppity trainer! "We got ours a couple of days ago from Professor Juniper."

She looked surprised. "_Seriously_?" She started smirking again. "It figures you're only newbies." Before I could open my mouth, she continued, "Well, I don't know what _you_ two are gonna do, but _I'm_ going to go catch me a Snivy! Ciao, losers!" She then ran down the road, leaving us alone.

"…What an unpleasant person," I muttered.

"She _was_ pretty rude, wasn't she?" Bianca mumbled. "I thought we could be friends, y'know, since we all had Pokédexes…" She sighed as we stood up. "This was supposed to be a pleasant walk through the forest. Instead, we got attacked by a Pokémon and had our food stolen!"

"You see? I _knew_ this was a bad idea." I looked down at Tiny and Eve, but I didn't find them in there. I looked inside of my bag, expecting to find them both in there, but I only found Eve fast asleep. I suddenly got worried. I looked around, trying to find a sign of yellow fur. "Where is he? Where is he? Where could he have gone?!" I started to shake the Eevee in my bag. "Eve! _Eve_!"

Eve woke up and yawned. "What? What is it?"

"Where's Tiny?"

"Tiny…? Um… Oh! I think he ran off…" She paused to yawn again. "…after that Pokémon…"

"So he's _gone_?!" I cried out. "He's just a baby! He could get hurt! He could get _killed_!" I had to find him. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something bad happened to him. Bianca had to grab me to stop me from running off like a crazy person.

"C-calm down, White! I'll help you—we'll find him together!" She tried to calm me down. "Let's… Let's see if anyone saw him! Pichu isn't a Pokémon that you find in Unova, so he's sure to stick out!"

"I hope so. I _really_ hope so…" I said as I wrung my hands in a worried manner.

**X-X-X**

We walked down the dirt path in search of Tiny and the Snivy until we came across a pair of little girls. They were identical in every way: their little brown pigtails and bright green jumper dresses. The twin girls were whispering to each other until they noticed us and ran right up to us.

"Hey, hey! Are you trainers?"

"Hey, hey! You wanna battle?"

"_No_," I answered bluntly. The twin girls pouted.

"Pleeeease?" They pleaded.

"We're busy!" I snapped, too irritated by the circumstances to

Bianca stepped forward and bent over to speak with them. "Don't mind her. We're just looking for a certain Pokémon that may have passed by here. Have you seen a Pichu?"

The twins looked at each other before looking up at Bianca with confused expressions. "What's a Pichu?" They both asked.

Quickly, I took out my Pokédex and pulled up the entry on Pichu. I held it out in front of the girls. "_This_. Now have you seen one run by here?"

One of the twins opened her mouth to speak, but the other clapped her hand over her sister's mouth. "We'll tell you if you battle us!"

I frowned and started to glare at the two girls. "This is serious! It's _my_ Pichu we're looking for and need to find him _now_!"

One of the twins was now whimpering while the other was pouting with her arms folded across her chest. "Nuh-uh! My daddy told me that when trainers look each other in the eye, they _have_ to do battle!" Your daddy sounds like an idiot.

Bianca laughed sheepishly and took me aside. "Now, White," she whispered, "They're only kids. Humor them a little and battle them."

"I don't _want_ to humor them. I want to _spank_ those little brats until they tell me where Tiny went!"

Bianca turned around to face the twins. "Alright! She'll battle you, but only a one-on-one match!" I gave the blonde an angry look. I didn't have time for a battle! I needed to find my Pokémon before the worst could happen!

"Nuh-uh! We _always_ fight in double battles, right Maya?" Said one twin.

The twin named Maya looked at me and started to shake. "U-um…! M-maybe we shouldn't try to make the scary lady angrier, Mayo… We should just tell her where the Pokémon went."

"Noooo…!" Mayo whined, flailing her arms like an angry Maractus.

Maya looked at us. "We tried to catch the Pichu because it looked cute. We almost caught it, but it broke out of the Poké Ball." She pointed further down the dirt path. "It went down the road. We would've chased it, but we don't have any more Poké Balls…"

That was all I needed to hear. I started running down the road, barely listening to one of the twins berating the other and Bianca yelling for me to wait up. The only thought on my mind was finding Tiny and making sure that he was safe. I didn't stop until I reached a crossroad that divided into two paths, out of breath and not knowing which way I should go. I felt something clap onto my shoulder, but I didn't have the energy to jump or shout in surprise. I looked over my shoulder and saw Bianca, panting from exhaustion.

"D-don't just run off like that! How am I gonna protect you if you keep running away from me?" She panted as she bent over to catch her breath. "You could've at least thanked those little girls…" Bianca stood up straight and looked at me. "Well, I guess we've got to choose a way… Oh! There's someone down there!" She pointed down the left path at a young boy in a straw hat. We approached him as he stepped into the tall grass, looking down at the ground and holding a net in his hands. "Hello there!"

"Sssshhh! You'll scare 'em away!" The boy complained.

Bianca blinked and looked around. "Um… Scare who?"

"The bug Pokémon hiding in the grass, of course!" The boy adjusted his hat as he continued staring at the ground.

"Oh. Then I guess you wouldn't have noticed a strange-looking Pokémon coming down this way…"

The bug catcher gave a disgruntled sigh. "You mean that funny-lookin' snake? It popped up, ate the berries I was planning to use as bait for the bug Pokémon, and then used some sort of attack to distract me! Now I gotta catch bugs the old-fashioned way!" A funny-looking snake? It must have been that thieving Snivy! And if Tiny was chasing after it, then…

"Hey, was that _all_ you saw? You didn't see any other weird-looking Pokémon?" I asked.

"When I hunt for Bug type Pokémon, I never notice any other kind. All I saw after that was some girl asking where that thievin' snake went." He pointed his net towards the trees. "I told her it went off the path and ran off into the woods—_with my bait_! She took off right after it. Guess it stole somethin' off of _her_, too."

"Oh… Well, I guess we'll have to go off the path to find him," said Bianca.

As the boy wandered off to do more bug-catching, I gulped as I stared out into the trees. It didn't look as inviting as the manmade path, especially when the increased likelihood of meeting wild Pokémon crossed my mind. I wish I could've maintained my hardheadedness from before so I could just barrel right through. If I didn't want to be a good trainer, I would've been adamant about not going anywhere. But I had to do it. I had to be brave, for Tiny's sake. Taking a deep breath, I stepped off the dirt road and into the tall grass. I kept repeating in my mind that what I was feeling brush up against my leg was grass and not some Pokémon trying to stealthily attack me as Bianca hooked her arm onto mine and helped me walk.

**X-X-X**

"HI-YAH!" Shion exclaimed as she used her scalchop to cut down the grass in front of us. Amongst the shreds of grass and flowers, a wild sleeping Pansear woke up and growled. It spat out embers of fire at her, but the ones that she couldn't block with her shell didn't faze her. She flung her shell at the Pansear and hit in square on its nose. The Pansear cried out in pain before it ran off, no longer seeking a fight. Shion went to pick up her shell and raised it over her head proudly. "Another victory in my trainer's name!"

"Hooray!" Eve exclaimed.

Panacea approached the Oshawott to inspect her for injuries. In a moment of intense paranoia, I'd sent all three of the Pokémon on me out of their Poké Balls—for protection. If Bianca was watching my back, I needed someone to watch my front, my right and my left as well. I looked like a celebrity with an entourage, or a very weird and varied group of bodyguards. "Did you really have to chase it away? Miss White could have caught it. It's a Fire type Pokémon after all."

Shion's expression became a distressed one as she looked up at me. "Wh-what? Really?! I'm so sorry, White! I know: I'll knock out the next Pansear I see so you can capture it!"

"Me, too! Me, too!" Eve chirped as she bounced up and down "I'll knock out every Pokémon I see so White can catch it!"

"So will I," said Panacea. "I have to contribute to helping Miss White as well."

"That's not what we're doing here. We're looking for Tiny. _Nothing_ else matters," I answered sternly. The three Pokémon before me looked ashamed. "It's not that I don't appreciate your help. I'm just really worried about him."

"Aw, White," Bianca spoke from behind me. "That's so precious! You're acting more like a mother than a trainer!"

I sighed. Not her, too! "I'm not being maternal! It's just common sense! He's just a baby and he's gone and run off like this! Who knows what could've happened to him?" Once again, Bianca cooed. "Stop that! Anyway, finding Tiny is the top priority. No challenging trainers, no catching Pokémon, _nothing_ whatsoever!"

"Aw, so you're not gonna catch anything?" Eve asked with a pout. "Not even that weird-looking snake over there?"

"Yes, not even that weird-looking— Weird-looking snake?!" I looked forward and saw what she was talking about. There was the oddly-colored Snivy, inside of a large, hollowed out log. It was surrounded by empty wrappers and papers while it was coiled up, seemingly fast asleep. "Bianca! It's the Snivy!" I whispered.

"Hm? You're right! It's the same color and everything!" She exclaimed loudly before I gestured for her to stay quiet. I pointed at the sleeping Pokémon and she nodded. "I don't see Tiny anywhere, though..." She whispered. "Do you think it knows where he is? Maybe we should ask it."

"Are you kidding? If we wake it up, it'll just run off again!"

Bianca's eyes lit up. "If you catch it, it won't be able to run away! You could just send it back into its Poké Ball if it tries to escape before answering you!"

"I don't wanna catch a Pokémon that _stole_ from me! Even if it was just a sandwich!"

"Well, you can release it afterwards if you want. Go on, do it before it wakes up! It'll be easier to just catch it while it's asleep!"

I hummed in annoyance as I searched through my bag for an unused Poké Ball. I gripped it tightly in my hands as I took aim at the Snivy. Praying that it wouldn't miss, I threw the ball at the Grass type. It hit the Pokémon on the head, but I couldn't tell if it was still asleep as it was taken into the ball in a flash of light. The ball only shook twice before it clicked. I stared in slack-jawed awe. "I actually caught it?!"

"No way!" A familiar voice shouted from over to the side I turned my head and saw the brunette girl from before stomping towards us "How could a newbie like you catch a rare Pokémon like Snivy before me?!" Well, it helps when it's fast asleep from eating stolen food. She folded her arms across her chest and frowned. "Hmph! It was probably by luck or a fluke!"

I didn't say a word. I just approached the Poké Ball and picked it up. I hesitated in releasing the Snivy from inside. I wasn't sure what sort of reaction it was going to have when it woke it to find it was captured. Just as I was about to press the button, I heard a familiar cry of "Mommy!"

"Tiny? Tiny! Where are you?!" I shouted, looking around frantically.

"What the heck is _wrong_ with you?" I heard the brunette trainer say. I turned to face her, only to see something surprising: a Pichu poking its head out from inside of her bag. I suddenly felt intense relief. Before I really knew what I was doing, I was standing in front of the girl, trying to get the Pichu out of the bag to hug him and kiss him and act like a right mess. Instead, I was grabbed and shoved back by the trainer girl, who was now glaring at me. "What do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to steal my Pichu?!"

"He's not _your_ Pichu, he's _mine_!" I snapped back. "He ran off and I-I've been looking everywhere for him, so if you'd be so _kind_…" I held my hands out.

The girl frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Ohhh, no. I'm not falling for that act. If he _was_ your Pichu, I wouldn't have been able to catch him, now, would I?"

"Catch him?!" Bianca and I repeated.

"There's no way you could catch him! He already has a Poké Ball, right, White?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I suddenly remembered something. In Accumula Town, Tiny's Poké Ball broke. I told myself that I would replace it, but even with the nurses at the Pokémon Center telling me that I should put him inside of a Poké Ball, the things that had been happening had made me put that to the back of my mind. And when I finally remembered that I had technically been carrying a wild Pokémon with me the entire time, I found myself shouting, "His ball broke! And I forgot to put him inside of a replacement!"

"What?!" Bianca shouted in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

I slapped my hand to my forehead, saying, "Because I _forgot_! How could I be such an idiot?!" I removed my hand and looked at the girl. "Look, he really _is_ my Pichu! Please give him back to me!"

"Nope," the brunette answered bluntly. "Even if I _do _believe you—which I don't—technically speaking, he's _my_ Pokémon now. Now, if you were a _good_ trainer who hadn't done anything as _stupid_ as let a Pokémon they call _theirs_ run around without being captured, I'd give him back to you."

Tiny then crawled out of her bag and ran over to me. He stood up and held his arms out to me. "Mommy?" I bent over to pick him up and the Pichu started to nuzzle his cheek against my neck. "Chuuu~!" He started pointing over at the blue-clad trainer. "Friend, Mommy."

I glared at the brunette girl, who was also glaring at me. "Look, just gimme back my Pichu! What happened was an accident, but I'm still his trainer, Poké Ball or no!"

"Well, how do I know you're not gonna let him go all over again?"

"I'm _not_! What do you want me to do? You wanna have a battle for him? Because I'll do it if I have to!" Wiping that judging look off of your face will be a plus.

The brunette smirked and gave me a condescending look as she adjusted her hat. "You've got no idea who you're talking to! I'm not some newbie trainer like you who doesn't know how to handle her Pokémon! I'm White Green, a seasoned trainer who's defeated the Indigo League!"

"I don't know what that is and I don't _care_," I answered bluntly.

"You _should_ care, newbie."

Actually, I kind of did care. I cared that she had the same name that I did and that she had already accomplished what Black and Cheren were trying to do: she'd beaten gym leaders, the Elite 4 and the league champion—well, _an_ Elite 4 and _a_ league champion—in some far-off region. Then again, she could've been lying. She could've been as much of a newbie trainer as she said Bianca and I were and the Indigo League probably didn't exist.

"I'll bet you that the Pokémon _I_ started with can beat the one _you_ started with," she taunted as she took out a Poké Ball. She pressed the button and from within, she released something that made me change my mind about her being a pretender.

"Blaaaas!" Standing before us on two legs was a large, blue, tortoise-like Pokémon with a pair of cannons sticking out of the top of its brown shell. The cannons withdrew into the shell, then extended, releasing a blast of water that was aimed upwards. The blast made a hole within the canopy of leaves, letting a fair amount of sunlight shine down on his along with a short drizzle of water. I couldn't help but stand there, shaking in fear at the hulking brute of a Pokémon before us. At some point, I found myself grabbing Bianca's hand and squeezing it for dear life. Bianca didn't mind, because she was too busy being in awe.

"Wow…! What kind of Pokémon is that?"

"A Blastoise," I whispered as I felt my heart clenching in fear, "their water cannons have more force than a fire hose, they can shoot something from more than 100 feet away, their water attacks can pierce right through steel, and they're so heavy that they could crush a person underneath them!" I spoke quickly as I began to use Bianca's hand like a stress ball. I'm surprised I actually remembered any of that, but I guess Blastoise is just one of those Pokémon whose every dangerous detail is, sadly, engraved in my mind.

"Wow…! I didn't get all of that, but _wow_! Um…I-I don't think you could beat _that_ in a battle, White," Bianca answered truthfully, and I agreed with her. Even if I went the unfair route and sent all of my Pokémon out at once, I wouldn't win. I looked down at my Pokémon, who were looking sort of petrified in the face of the Blastoise. Even Shion, despite trying to put up a brave front, shook from intimidation of its power. I'd have a better chance of beating the Blastoise's trainer with my own hands, but I wouldn't resort to such a thing…yet.

"Do you understand the difference between us now?" White Green asked. When I didn't give a reply, she smirked and returned her Blastoise to its ball. But the heart-clenching feeling didn't stop there. She then pulled out another Poké Ball, which I presumed was Tiny's.

I couldn't even bring myself to glare at her. I looked down at Tiny sadly and started to brush the dirt off of his fur. He looked up at me curiously and started to pat my chest. "Mommy?" Having him call me that made me feel even worse.

"I'm really sorry…though if you understood, I'm sure you wouldn't forgive me. _I_ wouldn't." At that moment, the Pichu's expression became a sad one. "I mean, I'm not the _only_ one to be angry at here," I glanced at White Oak and mentally cursed her for being so stubborn and…unlikeable.

"W-wait a minute!" Bianca exclaimed. "That's White's Pokémon! M-my White, not you… And she really loves and cherishes it! I mean, she went crazy trying to find him! So what if she made a mistake? She's only human! And you can't really be such a bad person that you would separate a trainer and Pokémon who care for each other so much!"

White Green frowned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! How am _I_ the bad guy? _She's_ the idiot who let her Pokémon wander about without being captured and then whined, saying she's his trainer!" She pointed a finger at me. "_She's_ the bad person here, blondie, not me!"

"C'mon! Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles…?" Bianca begged. I was surprised she was actually resorting to this. And for _my_ sake. I felt moved and ashamed at the same time for letting my friend fight my battles for me.

"What do you want from me? I'll do…anything…if you just give Tiny back to me." I regretted saying that. Who knows what this girl would think up?

The brunette girl bent over and picked up a Poké Ball. Oh, wait. That was the Poké Ball the sleeping Snivy was inside of. "I want this." I answered simple. "I want the Snivy."

I blinked. "That's it?"

"Hey, be grateful I'm such a generous person! I could've asked for all your money or something in exchange, but all I want is a trade. Trade me your Snivy for what is technically _my_ Pichu."

"Deal," I answered quickly.

"What?!" Panacea exclaimed in shock. "B-but, Miss White! What about—?"

"It's okay. There are plenty of Grass type Pokémon out there anyway. Besides, I'm not sure I'd be able to get along with a Pokémon that stole my lunch."

White Green smiled. She actually looked somewhat pleasant when she wasn't smirking, but at this point, I'd pretty much decided that the girl _wasn't_ pleasant. "Great! Now, let's go to the Pokémon Center in Nacrene City. That's—"

"Yeah, we know where that is, you little…" I trailed off and began muttering things to myself as we followed behind her.

**X-X-X**

It seems that in one of the many upstairs rooms of Pokémon Centers, there was a room with several machines. Each one had two empty sphere-shaped slots and two screens, the biggest and widest one already on and showing a swirling Poké Ball symbol onscreen. White Green stood before the machine and put her hands on her hips. "_This_ is a trading machine. Trainers use these to make local trades with people face-to-face." I _really_ hated the tone she used to explain that: the sort of tone people take with children when they want to make something sound simple while also making the child feel like an idiot.

Bianca immediately spoke up, "But why do you need a machine to do this? Can't you just give each other your Poké Balls?"

The brunette girl looked at Bianca like she was an idiot. "Because it's still technically _your_ Pokémon, meaning if you exchange it, you'd only be able to have five Pokémon instead of six. You wouldn't be able to release it or store it in your PC, heck, you'd probably get in trouble with the authorities because its Poké Ball doesn't have _your_ Trainer ID, which a trading machine takes care of by altering it. You _do_ know what your ID is, right?"

Bianca pouted. "Yes…"

"Also, this thing will make sure you actually give me Snivy and not trick me by giving me some other Pokémon." I said nothing and only frowned in response. "Now, let's begin." She held out her Poké Ball and pointed it at Tiny.

"Do me a favor and stay inside, okay?" I whispered into the Pichu's ear before he disappeared in a flash of light, back into the ball. Surprisingly, he didn't burst out immediately.

The other White placed the Poké Ball into one of the sphere-shaped slots and the upper screen activated, showing an image of a Pichu on one side with information like Tiny's species, his type, her ID number and her name which, oddly enough, was different. Instead of White Green, it read White Oak. I stared at in confusion for a few seconds before she snapped, "Don't stare! You better not be memorizing my ID to do something shady, you weirdo!"

"I wouldn't even know what to do with it!" I snapped back.

"Hmph. I'm sure you don't, you noob." She went from accusing me of being capable of a possibly criminal act to being _incapable _of it. I swear, this _girl_…! Who the heck decided she was worth giving a Pokédex to?! She pressed something on the second screen of the trade machine, and then looked at me. "Well? Get over here and put in that Snivy!"

I reached into my bag, inside of a different pocket that didn't hold the rest of my Pokémon, and pulled out the Snivy's Poké Ball. I walked over to the trade machine and inserted the ball into the slot. I looked up at the screen and saw it showing an exact image of the Snivy, right down to its odd color. I looked down at the smaller screen and saw a prompt pop up, asking if it was the Pokémon I wanted to trade. I pressed the command marked _'yes'_ and both balls suddenly dropped down into the slots, disappearing into the machine. The screen showed an image of two Poké Balls trading places and the pictures of Tiny and the Snivy crossing over one another, and in seconds, a Poké Ball rose up in the slot on my side.

As soon as that happened, Tiny burst out of the ball and landed on the floor. "Mommy!" He exclaimed as he scampered up to me. He started jumping in place energetically, as if he'd been sitting in that ball for hours instead of a minute or so.

"Hey, there," I greeted as I crouched down to pet him on the head. He cooed and started nuzzling against my hand. "Welcome back. I promise we'll _never_ have to go through this again…"

"You better not. Unless you shape up as a trainer, you're gonna wind up getting your Pokémon taken from you for their own good," White Green—or White Oak, I wasn't sure anymore—commented as she walked by me. I glared up at her, but then I saw her smirking face. "Ciao, losers!" She then left.

"I hope the first thing that Snivy does when it wakes up is _smack_ her with a Vine Whip," I muttered darkly. My expression made Tiny make a small squeak of fear.

Bianca frowned. "What a rude girl… Even Cheren's not _that_ mean when he lectures us! How could a person like _that_ be recommended to get a Pokédex?"

I sighed and stood up, placing Tiny inside of his rightful place inside of my bag. "Must've been a favor. Or a bribe. Or a Pokémon Professor with bad judgment of character. Either way, I hope I never have to meet White Oak again."

The blonde girl wore a look of confusion. "Huh? _Oak_?"

"Never mind…"

Bianca shrugged. "Hey, since our walk through the forest was interrupted, why don't we go to the museum in town? …What's with that look?"

I blinked. I didn't realize that I was staring at her like she'd grown wings or something. "Um… I never thought you'd be willing to recommend a _museum_ of all things as something fun."

"Well, normally I wouldn't want to…but I wanna help Professor Juniper with her research in exchange for giving me my Pokédex, so I thought: _'Maybe I can learn something about Pokémon from the museum!'_ I mean, she's supposed to study about where Pokémon came from, and historical stuff like the things found in museums pretty much tell you something about that…right?"

A smile found its way onto my face. "That's…true. And it's nice that you wanna help the professor out."

"Does this mean you'll come with me?!" Bianca suddenly exclaimed. "B-because…I'm worried there'll be things I won't really understand, or I'll do something embarrassing like fall asleep on some expensive thing…"

"Sure… But first thing first: I'm going to buy Tiny a new Poké Ball all his own, and then I'm gonna release him and catch him again."

"…That doesn't make any sense. He's already got a ball."

"Yes, but it's _White Oak's_ ball with _White Oak_ listed as his original owner, and I don't want to happen to glance at that information again be reminded of _White Oak…"_ I grumbled as I walked out of the room with my friend in tow.

**X-XX**

_Notes!_

**Eve is an English name that originated from the Hebrew name Eva and means "to live" or "to breathe", and rather than the obvious reference to the Biblical Eve, it is a reference to Mitochondrial Eve, the woman from whom modern humans descended from on their mother's side.**

**Snivy learns Sweet Scent via breeding.**

**No trainers of the Bug Catcher class appear in the Unova games.**

**White Green/Oak is physically the female player character of Pokémon FRLG usually named "Leaf" by fans, who shares similarities with an unused female player character from the original Red and Green games. In some artwork and images, the girl's Pokémon is a Squirtle, and her counterpart in the Pokémon Adventures manga also owned a Squirtle that eventually became a Blastoise. White Oak is a kind of tree.**

**In the games, traded Pokémon always have their original trainer listed in their summary, so it would make sense that releasing and catching a Pokémon in a different ball would erase that information.**

**X-X-X**

**Remember to review for Blu and Pichu!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: You know the drill: I don't own the Pokémon series, only this fic._

**X-X-X**

_~Fossil Liberation! Plasma Strikes Again!~_

I stepped out of the Pokémon Center, finally free of the long line of trainers that were lined up at the Poké Mart corner. All I'd wanted to do was buy a new Poké Ball for Tiny, but the wait was so long, I told Bianca to go ahead without me and that I would meet up with her inside of the Nacrene museum. After waiting minutes to get to the front of the line, I wound up buying a Premier Ball—a fancy-looking white ball with red lining, as well as some Net Balls and Heal Balls at the insistence of the clerk I was talking to. Now I knew why his line was so long: he'd probably spent time convincing people to buy more stuff and spend more money!

I took a peek inside of my bag and smiled at the sight of Tiny playing with his new Premier Ball. He looked up at me and smiled. "Ball!" He chirped, continuing to push the white ball around. I scratched his little head before taking him out and putting him on top of my hat.

"You're in for a treat. Today, we're gonna go to a museum," I said as I started to walk.

"Moo-see-um," the Pichu tried to pronounce.

"That's right. A museum is a place where lots of things of various interests are placed on display. Things relating to history, science, art, and culture…" I wasn't sure why I bothered to continue talking to him. A part of me thought that Tiny wouldn't really understand anything since he was technically a baby Pokémon, while another part thought that if he heard enough words, he'd learn to speak a bit better.

"Moo-see-um!" He repeated, seemingly liking how the word sounded. Well, at least he learned _one_ new word today, even if he probably doesn't know what a museum is.

Now that I thought about it, Cheren said that the Nacrene Gym was _inside_ of the museum. I had to wonder how _that_ actually worked. Wouldn't it be a risk if something valuable was destroyed because a gym battle got out of hand? And speaking of battles, I was wondering if I should even think about challenging the gym anyway. Cheren also said that the gym leader used Normal type Pokémon, and I already had two Normal type Pokémon with me, so I didn't _really_ need to challenge the gym leader here to help get over my fear of Normal types…did I? It'd be no skin off of _my_ bones, though Shion might complain about not getting any training and Panacea would probably say something like, _'Every little bit helps.'_ On the other hand, though, the gym leader probably won't go easy on a newbie, unlike Cilan and his brothers. I'd probably get my butt handed to me.

At some point, I had arrived at the museum, but with my thoughts on the Nacrene Gym inside, I barely noticed. I was a bit _too_ deep in thought, because I wound up bumping into someone. I felt Tiny fall off of my head and saw him drop past my eyes. "Ah!" I held my hands out to grab him, but I was too slow. Instead, the person I bumped into got him instead. "Oh, thank you so…much." My smile of relief faded when I saw the person who'd caught him was N.

"White," he spoke simply. I immediately took Tiny from his hands just a _bit_ roughly. I relaxed my grip and closed my eyes, refusing to look at the green-haired boy. He opened his mouth to speak, "I—"

But I interrupted him. "Save it. I don't want to talk to you." I tried to step past him, but felt something blocking my way. Opening my eyes, I saw that N had held his arm out in front of the entrance door. I frowned. "Will you get outta my way?!"

"Show some respect, you stupid girl!" His Zorua snapped from behind N's leg. "You should be grateful he's even talking to you after how you treated him yesterday!" Believe me, I'm _far_ from grateful for being in N's presence yet again.

"I won't let you leave until you listen to what I have to say."

"_No_. Because almost every time I_ do_ listen to what you have to say, it's usually stuff that makes me feel upset and makes me wanna _punch you_—!" I paused just as I had raised a fist in the air, as if to strike the boy before me. I took a deep breath, counted down from five, and lowered my fist. "_Fine_. Say whatever it is you have to say so I can leave."

N stared at me for a few seconds before he lowered his arm. I was wondering if I'd be able to run past him and into the museum when he began speaking, "What I want is to see things that no one can see: the truth about the feelings of Pokémon within Poké Balls, the ideals of how trainers _should_ be, and more than anything, a world where Pokémon are free to become perfect. Do you feel the same, White?"

It took me a few seconds to process what he'd said. Mainly because he'd spoken so quickly that what should've been one long sentence and a question seemed like a blur. "Uh… Wait, I'm confused. What are you talking about now?"

"What I want to do is change the world. To save all the Pokémon in it so they wouldn't have to be trapped within Poké Balls or forced to fight under a trainer's commands. They'd be free to become the perfect beings!"

I blinked. "Oh. Isn't that putting a _bit_ too much pressure on the? I mean…" I thought about Eve, who didn't really seem like the sort to care about perfection, and Shion, who'd probably overreact if she learned that she _couldn't_ be perfect. "Perfection isn't something that can be achieved by any mortal thing, whether they're human or a Pokémon. Well, maybe gods and legendary Pokémon, but no _normal_ human or Pokémon can do it, that's for sure! I definitely know _I'm_ not perfect. And _you_ sure as heck aren't perfect, either." I waited for a response from N for that slight insult, but he just stared at me expectantly. Oh, right. I was supposed to answer his question. "To be fully honest…I don't feel the same as you. I have an idea about how trainers should be, and I know that some Pokémon hate being in Poké Balls while others don't mind. And I think they're fine just the way they are now. Actually, if they were, like, 100 times less dangerous and life-threatening, that'd be great."

N's mouth formed a thin line. "Really? Huh… I didn't think you'd be so close-minded."

I frowned. "Close-minded? I'm thinking openly! Being perfect means you can do _anything_. For all the amazing things they can do, Pokémon have their limitations and weakness and quirks just like humans do. If Tiny were perfect, he wouldn't be the way I've come to know and like him."

"Is that so? Then…maybe I should test you to see what sort of future you can see," N said, pulling out a Poké Ball. He released a Pidove, which flapped its wings before landing on the ground.

I arched an eyebrow. "You…wanna have a battle? Well, alright. But if you preach about _anything_ during the fight, I'm calling a timeout to give you a black eye! Go get 'em, Tiny!" Tiny jumped out of my arms and onto the ground in front of the Pidove. I stepped back and grinned. Even if beating N in a Pokémon battle wasn't the same as punching him, it'd probably feel just as satisfying. "Tiny, use Thunder Wave!"

"Pidove, Quick Attack."

N's Pidove disappeared just as Tiny unleashed a jolt of paralyzing electricity in its direction. It appeared to be darting about in midair at a blinding speed before tackling Tiny, sending him rolling down the stairs of the museum, all the way to the bottom. "Chuuu!" He whimpered, holding his head for a few seconds before he got back on his feet.

"Quick Attack once more," N commanded in an annoyingly calm tone. His Pidove once again began to fly about quickly, faster than I could see.

"Um… Use Charm!" I exclaimed, hoping that maybe the Pichu's cuteness would make the bird Pokémon stop in its tracks.

"Piiiichuuu!" Tiny exclaimed as he began to wave his arms in the air and smile cutely. The Pidove stopped moving to stare at Tiny, enamored with his cute antics.

"Now get it with a Thunder Shock!" With a short cry, the little Pichu unleashed a jolt of electricity at his opponent. The distracted Pidove was shocked and faltered in midair. It managed to land on its feet, albeit slightly singed and wobbly. It didn't look like it could defend itself. "Once again, Thunder Shock!" The Pidove was quickly hit by a second jolt of electricity. It fell down, unconscious and unable to battle. "Yay! You won!" I congratulated him as he ran back up to meet me. I picked him up and nuzzled noses with him. "You were great!" I noticed out of the corner of my eye that N was staring at me. "What're you staring at? Can't believe you lost?"

"…I have more friends with me." With those words, he released a new Pokémon at the bottom of the stairs. It was a Tympole—the same one from last night, maybe? I remember Bianca saying it was a Water type, which meant another easy success for Tiny if things turned out good. It looked kind of pitiful, flopping about on the pavement instead of in the water.

"Um…are you sure you want to fight with _that_ Pokémon? It looks like it'd be more at home in the water than here."

N stared at me yet again. I was starting to get creeped out. "Why do you care?" He asked.

"Why don't _you_ care?"

"He _does_ care!" Came Zorua. I refused to look at that frightening little Pokémon still, but I knew he was glaring at me.

"I can fight! Don't underestimate me!" The Tympole exclaimed in a brash tone as it bounced in place.

I gulped, worried that I may have angered the Tadpole Pokémon. "A-alright! Just don't hurt me, okay? Tiny, it's time for round 2." I let him jump out of my arm and run down to the bottom of the stairs to meet with the Tympole. "Alright, use Thunder Shock!"

"Use Mud Sport!" N called out with a bit more life and volume. Wait, Mud Sport?

Tympole somehow managed to bounce up into the air, dodging Tiny's attack. He took a deep breath and spat a large amount of mud down onto the street. When he landed with a splat, the Tadpole Pokémon started to roll about in the mud until he was completely covered in the stuff. Tiny attacked with another Thunder Shock, but when it hit, the attack barely had any effect.

"Ha! That tickles!" The Tympole taunted.

"What?! But-but…he's only a Water type! He shouldn't be immune to an Electric type attack!" I exclaimed in surprise. I took out my Pokédex and looked up moves. "Mud Sport, Mud Sport… The user covers itself with mud, weakening Electric type moves by half." I put my Pokédex away with a sigh. Wonderful. Tiny's only real attack was an Electric-type attack.

"Mud Shot!" said N, and his Tympole spat out a stream of mud at Tiny. It hit the Pichu with enough force to send him flying back with a cry of pain.

When he didn't move, I ran down the stairs to check up on him. His fur was dirtied a bit with mud and it looked like he was unconscious. Without a word, I returned him to his Poké Ball and whispered an apology into it. I went back up the stairs to N, slightly surprised when he didn't resort to gloating of some sort. "Alright…" I mumbled, slipping Tiny's ball back into my bag and pulling out another. In a flash of light, Panacea appeared.

"I will do my best, Miss White," she said as she clapped her paws together resolutely.

"That's all I'm asking for. Now, use Double Slap!" I commanded the Audino. She ran towards her opponent with one paw raised and slapped him across the cheek a couple of times.

"Bubble Beam!" Despite the close distance, the Tympole opened its mouth and sprayed out dozens of bubbles in Panacea's face. Despite being only bubbles, they had enough power behind them to have Panacea stumbling back as she swatted the aside. "Now use Mud Shot!" The Tadpole Pokémon once again opened its mouth, this time spraying mud all over Panacea. She looked like even more of a mess than Tiny did.

It was too dangerous for her to get in close. So maybe she could… "Panacea, use Attract!" I wasn't really sure if it would work. She only learned the move recently, during our little excursion through Pinwheel Forest. I never used it because I was too petrified to notice if any of the wild Pokémon we encountered were male.

Panacea held a paw in front of her mouth as she began to glow with a sparkly pink aura of some kind. Little pink hearts started to form around the Audino and she winked, sending the hearts flying off towards the Tympole who just sat there in wide-mouthed awe. The hearts hit their target like an arrow.

"I…I… WOW!" The Tympole exclaimed, bouncing exuberantly in place. "That mud really brings out the color in your eyes…!" He swooned. His tail started to wag and his cheeks began to vibrate.

"Um… T-thank you?" Panacea spoke awkwardly, not really sure if she should count that as a compliment. Neither did I, for that matter.

"Now, while he's infatuated, use Double Slap!" I called out. I watched as Panacea approached the Water type and started to slap it several times. Disturbingly enough, the little guy was smiling through every slap, occasionally making some weird comment.

"Yes! Yes! Hit me again with your love taps! I can take it!" Tympole proclaimed. I swore I could've seen hearts in his eyes when he said that, like he was some kind of cartoon character.

The Audino cringed. "Please don't say that. It's bad enough having to hurt you, but when you say things like that…" She raised a paw and gave the Tympole two more smacks. "Won't you please just give up?"

"Never! I don't give up in fights or _love_~!"

"Oh, brother," I mumbled, holding a hand over my face. "Please just knock him out now!"

"Yah!" With a final Pound to the face, the Tympole had had enough _'love taps'_ and fainted with a satisfied expression on his face.

"What a disappointment…" Zorua commented.

I looked at N, who had returned Tympole to his Poké Ball. The hand gripping said Poké Ball was shaking, like he was about to get angry. His facial expression was blank, but his eyes looked like they were upset. "Not yet… It isn't finished yet!"

"Um… Okay." I returned Panacea to her ball for some rest before inching away from the green-haired teen as he took out a third Poké Ball. In a flash of light, it appeared: a small, gray-skinned Pokémon that was roughly the size of a child, give or take a few inches. Its body had pink, vein-like protrusions on its head, around its shoulders and near its waist, and it was carrying a piece of squared lumber under its arm. "A Timburr, huh?" I remembered seeing at least one of those in Pinwheel Forest, and even long before then. They always popped up at building sites to help with construction, regardless of whether they were owned or wild. "Since it's a Fighting-type, there's only one person who can handle this."

In a flash of light, Shion appeared sitting down, seemingly waxing her scalchop shell. After a few seconds, she realized she was no longer in her ball and stood up abruptly. "W-w-what is this?! If you're going to call upon me, at least make it known!" She exclaimed, blushing from embarrassment.

I cringed. "I-I'm sorry! I thought you heard me in there!"

"I _did_ hear! That's why I was shining— I mean, _maintaining_ my shell!"

The Timburr snickered. "Y'think _that_ puny thing's gonna hurt me?" He asked. He then swung his lumber, as if to intimidate her. "_This_, though, could totally whup your butt, runt!"

Shion frowned. "First of all, the size of the weapon doesn't matter. Second of all, who are you calling a runt?!"

"Use Focus Energy!" Said N.

"You, too, Shion! Focus Energy!" I exclaimed. N's Timburr started to pump his log like a dumbbell while Shion took on a stance. They both began to glow bright red. "Now attack with Water Gun!"

"Block the attack!"

Shion took a deep breath and sprayed out water. Timburr placed his log in front of him and blocked the spray, moving back only a few inches from the force of the attack.

"Use Tail Whip and distract him!"

The Oshawott turned around and began to wag her tail cutely. "Woooott~! Wott, woooott~!" She sang. Timburr stared at her in confusion, scratching his head.

"Don't be distracted! Use Fling!" N called out. Timburr started to toss his log up and down before chucking it at Shion's back. Before she could turn around or dodge it, the log hit her square in the back and knocked her down. The Fighting type then approached her and picked up his log. "Now use Rock Smash," the green-haired teen spoke with finality.

Timburr raised his log, preparing to slam it down on Shion. But as he swung downward, she rolled out of the way and jumped back onto her feet. "Uh, Cut! Use Cut on the log!" I exclaimed quickly, becoming panicked. I didn't want to lose to N. I wanted to make _him_ march off in an angry huff!

Shion's scalchop seemed to glint in the sunlight somehow. She ran up to her opponent and swung just as he swung he down to strike her. The log was cut in half, its cut off piece falling behind Shion noisily. Timburr's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at his shortened log. Then he started to glare at the Oshawott and started to swing what was left of his log in a rage. He was only swinging wildly, though, never really hitting her. He didn't even seem to notice when she had gone around him until Shion struck him from behind at several points, ending with the back of his head. It was all the Fighting type could take and he fell forward, looking exhausted.

"Al…alright…! You win, you…runt…!" Timburr panted before fainting.

Shion frowned. "I'm not a runt!"

"Shion, that was great!" I exclaimed.

The Oshawott blushed as she bowed her head. "Th-thank you! I'm happy to be useful to you!" She said before she was returned to her ball.

I started to smile. "Well, that's three wins for me. Will that be it, or are you going to send your Zorua in next?" I asked.

N's Zorua smirked and looked like he was about to step forward after Timburr was recalled. "No… Our battle's over. Consider yourself the winner if that'll make you feel better."

That last bit of his answer annoyed me, but I still smirked, hoping that it would annoy him. "Great! So, if you'll excuse me…" I attempted to enter the museum _again_, but was halted by N's outstretched arm before the entrance _again_. "Oh, what _now_?! I answered your question and I accepted your challenge, isn't that enough?!"

"I'm not letting you go until you pay attention." But I've _been_ paying attention! Even when I really _shouldn't_, because you're an idiot who idolizes hypocritical jerks! "At the moment, I don't have the means to solve the equation that will change the world and save all Pokémon. What I need is power—enough power to make anyone agree with me." I managed to understand _that_ flood of words enough to roll my eyes at it. I got a bit closer to N as he continued, not even noticing that I had closed the distance between us, "Power like that of the legendary dragons Zekrom and Reshiram—" Despite the height difference, I managed to smack him on the forehead, blocking out the sound of his Zorua's growl and ignoring N's irritated look.

"If you really want to do that, then you're a bad guy."

N frowned. "I am not. I'm—"

"People who use power to make people see things their way are bad guys. They're brutes and bullies who force their point of view onto others who only agree out of fear of being hurt or killed. And if _you_ think that a world that's changed because of something like that will be a good one, you're a bad guy _and_ a moron." And I'll lose all faith that maybe, just _maybe_, you're something of a decent human being.

N stared at me blankly. I wasn't sure what he was thinking. Then he suddenly smiled, and I was slightly surprised by it. I was expecting him to go off the deep end and say how trainers like _me_ were the bad guys or…something. "I want to be a hero, like those who created the Unova region. That is why I will befriend the legendary dragons Zekrom and Reshiram, so that they'll help me change the world with their power!" The legendary Black and White Dragons in the hands of a guy like N… If the chances of such a thing happening weren't one in a million, I might have been terrified of the future of the world. "I must go now. I have much to do. I hope we meet again, White," he said as he left with Zorua in tow, still smiling.

"…He said he wants to meet again." I sighed and hung my head. "I don't think my mind or my patience can handle it. The next time I see him, I might wind up hurting him severely, just so he'll leave me be…!" I suddenly remembered why I was here: Bianca. Who knows how long she was waiting for me inside. Hoping I wouldn't incur her wrath—or her pitiable expressions—I stepped inside.

When I entered the museum, the first thing I felt was the refreshing blast of cold air conditioning. I barely had time to enjoy it, though, because I realized that I was standing in the shadow of something large. I froze in fear and gulped, praying it was only an exhibit. I looked up and managed to feel a mixture of relief and awe. A few feet away from the entrance was a large winged skeleton.

"Wow…!" I couldn't help but whisper out loud. I wished that Tiny was still conscious to enjoy this. He'd have probably loved this.

"Hello there!" I turned around and noticed a woman sitting behind a counter on the side. The receptionist, I guess. "Welcome to the Nacrene City Museum! Would you like to take a tour?" She asked with a bright smile.

"I—"

"Ah! Would you like a tour around the museum?" I turned around and saw a man that had been standing behind me. He wore glasses and was dressed in a lab coat. "I'm Hawes, one of the curators of the museum. I could tell you everything you'd like to know about the things on display here."

I opened my mouth, prepared to ask about the familiar-looking skeleton that was practically the centerpiece of the room, but changed my mind. It wasn't why I was here, interesting as it was. "Actually, I'm looking for someone who came in here." I turned to the receptionist. "Did you see a blonde girl come in here? She was wearing a big green hat?"

"…Oh, yes! I believe she walked off with some boy who just came from battling Miss Lenora!" Miss Lenora? Oh, right. Just like how the Striaton Gym also doubled as a restaurant, the Nacrene City Gym was part of the local museum. So that meant the boy she wandered off with might have been Black, coming back from his gym battle. "I believe they went into the wing that holds the exhibits about the time of the Black and White Kingdoms." She handed me a pamphlet. "Here. You can use this to find your way. Oh! And if you like, we have purchasable audio tours right here!"

"N-no, thanks. I'm good with just this. Thank you very much," I said as I turned around, walking in the direction of the exhibit.

**X-X-X**

I travelled through the exhibit hall for minutes before I saw Black and Bianca, standing in front of a display case. I walked up to them, but they seemed too busy watching whatever was in there. "I hope you two had fun _leaving me behind_ like that," I spoke up, making both of them jump.

"O-oh, it's only White!" Bianca said, looking relieved. "I was worried it was those rude guys again…"

"You _should_ be worried! You met up with Black and decided to just leave me behind? I'm hurt here, Bianca."

"U-um, it wasn't like I meant to leave you behind! But you were taking so long to get here, and I was bored of waiting. Then I met Black and we got to talking, and I told him what we were gonna do, and he said there was a really cool exhibit and said that it wouldn't take long, so I said _'sure'_ and I went off with him!"

"We were only supposed to be gone for a few second! It's not like we knew when exactly you were going to come, so we figured we could waste a little time, y'know?" said Black. I understood, but I continued to frown. "By the way, I got my second badge a while ago. Edwin performed really well for his first gym battle."

"Edwin?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"That's my Eevee's new name."

"Edwin. It's nice." Black smiled. I guess he was happier that he succeeded in changing the subject than in my approving of his naming choice. I decided not to persist and looked over their shoulders. "So, what're we looking at?" Inside of a glass case, I saw a pair of sphere-shaped stones that were roughly the size of Poké Balls. One was black, the other was white, and both seemed to shine in an attractive and almost unnatural way. Etched into their sides were images. "What's that? Some kind of jewelry?"

Black looked at a description that was placed above the exhibit case. "According to this, they assume that these are existing examples of ornamentation from the day of the Black and White Heroes. They found similar, more exotic-looking stones that had images of Zekrom and Reshiram engraved in them, but these stones were in far better condition before being restored like this."

I stared at the stones for a few more seconds before speaking up, "That reminds me: I met N a while ago."

"Really?"

"He's why I was late."

"He challenged you to a battle, didn't he?" I stared at my twin in surprise as I nodded. "He challenged me, too. Said something about wanting to hear my Pokémon's voices."

"Did he call you close-minded and tell you all about his crazy dream about becoming a hero and befriending the legendary dragons?"

"Yup. He sure is an interesting guy, isn't he?"

I frowned. "Interesting isn't what _I'd_ call him…" Some of the things I _wanted_ to call him were the sorts of things that made a child's parent wash their mouth out with soap. "Black, don't tell me you actually like that guy?"

My brother scratched his head and looked aside. "Well…one of the big things about journeying through an entire region is that you'll meet lots of different people. Not all of them are going to have the same train of thought like we do."

Bianca and I stared at him in surprise. "Wow, Black! That sounded so mature, I thought you were Cheren!"

"I don't know whether that was an insult or a compliment, but I'll ignore that…"

At that moment, a sharp hissing noise began. I jumped at the noise as Black and Bianca began looking about in confusion. Eventually, thick black smoke filled the hallway. I couldn't my hands in front of my face as I covered my nose and mouth, trying not to inhale anymore smoke. "What…the heck…is happening?!" I shouted between coughs.

"I-I don't know!" I heard Black's voice from somewhere beside me. "Let's try to get out of here! Take my hand!"

"_How_?! I can't even see it!" I suddenly felt something touch my shoulder and jumped from the contact. "AH!"

"Relax! It's just me! Bianca, try to grab hold of one of us!"

"Okay." After a few seconds, I felt what I assumed to be Bianca holding onto my arm. "I'm ready!"

"Good! Now, let's—" Black stopped in midsentence when we heard something: the sound of approaching footsteps. Actually, it sounded more like a stampede.

I felt myself being pushed aside into something—an exhibit, I guess—and down to the floor. I blindly scrambled about, trying to get out of the way of the marching feet, and in the process, I wound up making several people trip and stumble. I froze as I found myself staring up at a knelling figure. They were wearing a gas mask, but their outfit was unmistakable: the uniform of Team Plasma. Before I could react, I felt something hit me in the head, and I was knocked out.

**X-X-X**

"…te…! …ite…! White!" I woke up to the sight of Black hovering over me and the feeling of a dull pain in my head. "White! Oh, thank goodness you're okay! I thought you were dead or something!" Dead? How'd you jump to _that_ conclusion? "C-can you stand? If it's not too much trouble, at least try and sit up." He helped me sit up and I stared at the sight before me. Metal stands connected with rope had been pushed down and glass cases had been smashed, the exhibits they'd been blocking off and protecting all gone.

"What the heck happened?" I muttered, holding a hand to my head.

"Isn't it obvious? The place got robbed!" My brother exclaimed. "Can you believe it?! In broad daylight, too!"

"Where's Bianca?" Black pointed between a pair of broken display cases. Bianca was sitting down with a sad expression.

"I think she's upset because she didn't do anything. I don't see why. It may have been dangerous. People who rob a place in the middle of the day instead of in the dead of night usually are dangerous, aren't they?"

"No! Not here, too!" Came a woman's voice.

"Huh? Honey, there are people here!" Said a man.

"Hey, are you okay? No one's hurt or anything serious?"

Black's eyes widened. "Oh! L-lenora! I mean, _Miss_ Lenora!" I turned around to see who he was talking to. I recognized one of the people as the man from the front, but the woman was a new face. She was dark-skinned with blue hair that was styled into an afro held back by a red and white band, dressed in a white blouse and blue bellbottom pants with sensible shoes. "No, we're all okay."

"No, we're _not_. My head hurts. One of those Team Plasma creeps must have knocked me out…!" I pointed out.

"Well, a headache's nothing to complain abo— Team Plasma?" My twin looked at me in confusion. "Where was Team Plasma?"

"Here! I saw one of them from on the floor!"

Lenora stepped in front of me. "Are you sure?"

"I'd recognize that obnoxiously big P symbol anywhere," I muttered flatly.

The gym leader groaned and slapped a hand against her forehead. "Ugh, I feel like such a fool! I didn't think they were a threat at all! Holding their little pep rally in front of the museum, then coming inside to look at the exhibit… They were casing the joint, those dirty thieves!" She hissed.

"Now, Lenora, I didn't think they'd be capable of something like this, either. They seemed like typical protesters to me," said Hawes. "Though it _is_ strange. Why do you think people protesting capturing Pokémon would bother robbing a museum? A Pokémon Center would make more sense, wouldn't it?"

"Who cares?!" Lenora snapped. "Their reasons don't make up for the fact that they stole valuable artifacts _and_ part of a Pokémon skeleton!"

Black blinked. "Um… A skeleton?"

"I'm sure you've seen it. The skeleton on display in the hub of the museum," Hawes explained.

"…Oh! You mean the one that kinda looks like a Dragonite, right?"

"Exactly!" Lenora added. "And _I_ have to go and get them all back before they do heaven-knows-what to them!"

"Wait a minute!" Black got on his feet. "I'll come with you! I wanna help nab those crooks!"

"Yeah, me, too!" I joined in. I stood up and touched my head. "I need to pay them back for knocking me out the way they did!"

"What?! No!" Bianca finally spoke up. "You can't go after them! It's too dangerous!"

I gave the blonde girl a look of confusion. "What're you talking about, Bianca? We've fought Team Plasma before together, remember?"

"Yeah, but that was only two of them. The ones who stole from the museum were a _lot_ more! You guys could get hurt!"

"It'll be okay! We're used to battling with Team Plasma by now, _and_ we've got a gym leader on our side!" Black reassured her. "But if you think it's too dangerous, you could just stay in town."

"Well…okay. Be careful, guys."

Lenora folded her arms across her chest. "Alright then. Hawes, you contacted the police and made sure they blocked off any way out of town?"

"Well, they've blocked off the road to Striaton City, and they've got people to make sure they don't cross the bridge to Castelia."

"Good enough. That means we can track them down in Pinwheel Forest." I cringed. Not that awful place again, so soon! The gym leader looked at Black and I. "You two go prep up at the Pokémon Center and I'll meet you inside of the forest. It's just outside of the city, past the old railways." She then ran off.

"You'd better do what she says," Hawes said. "You don't know how strong their Pokémon are. It'd be good to prepare."

"Good luck…" Bianca said in a wary manner, gripping the strap of her bag.

**X-X-X**

Luckily for us, people in town confirmed that Team Plasma ran out of town carrying bags and a skull. When we entered the forest, I was on high alert and extremely wary. Just like before, I seemed to notice every Pokémon peeking out from behind trees and out of tall grass and bushes. I did my best to forget that I even saw them and focused on the task at hand. When we joined up with Lenora, she was staring down at the dirt road with a look of interest. Upon noticing us, she smiled.

"There you two are. Black…and White, right?" She said with a smile.

I blinked. "Yeah… How'd you know my name?"

"Oh, your brother told me that he was on a journey with his sister, White, and since you called the other girl Bianca, it was easy to figure out." I didn't think Black would just tell people he only met in a day about me, let alone someone as important as the gym leader. "Anyway, come look at this." She pointed down at the road, where there were imprints of footprints in the dirt. The problem was that there were several, some of which weren't even human-shaped.

Black and I stared at the footprints for a few seconds before looking at the archaeologist. "How can you tell which ones belong to Team Plasma?" Black asked.

She kneeled and point at one print. "Because they're still fresh by a few minutes, like this one. The rest have been here longer since they're drier by comparison. Unfortunately, the dirt becomes less soft further down the path, so we have no idea of where they are." Lenora pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Herdier. "My Herdier can help us track them down." She petted the dog Pokémon. "Okay, girl, I need you to help us track down some thieves. See these footprints? They belong to the culprits."

"Say no more!" The Herdier spoke, and she started to sniff the footprints. She started to bark and then ran down the dirt road. We ran right after her until she skidded to a stop at the fork in the road. "Phew! I can't smell them anymore. Just a foul stench…!"

"It seems that Herdier can't track them any further," Lenora told Black and me. "If you stay on the road, eventually you'll be led to the exit. But there's also a nature path that leads deeper into the forest before going back onto the main path. There's a chance that they took that path to try and lose anyone in pursuit."

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go after them!" I insisted, psyched up to pay back those creeps for everything they did to me recently. Black looked at me in confusion, but said nothing about my unnatural behavior.

"I'll go down the safe road while you two take the nature path. No matter which way they're going, I'm sure one of us will be able to catch up to them. Let's go, Herdier!" The Nacrene gym leader exclaimed before she ran down the path.

"Why did she call this road _'the safe way'_?" I asked no one in particular.

"No time to whine! We gotta move!" Black exclaimed as he ran off into the tall grass. After a few seconds of steeling my resolve, I ran after him.

**X-X-X**

That steeled resolve I had a few moments ago? _Gone_. Completely and utterly. In a place like Pinwheel Forest, where Pokémon could jump out from just about any bush, tree, or stream, the already high chance of encountering one was even higher when traveling off-road. Especially when the _'safe'_ road was a _long_ way away.

"White, could you please stop clutching my arm like that?" Black looked at me from over his shoulder, grimacing in pain. "You're cutting off the circulation in it!"

"No way! If something pops up and tries to kill us, _you're_ going first!" That sounded cowardly and ruthless, but when fear controls a person's mind, they might tend to do cowardly and heartless things such as making sure their twin died with them.

"Ugh, this is no good. I'd hate to say it, but we might be lost…"

"Why did you say that?! _Why_?! It was bad enough that we're out here, easy prey for any hungry predator, but now you're saying we're _lost_?!"

"C-calm down! I meant that we…might've lost Team Plasma!"

I griped my brother's arm even tighter, making him cringe. "Don't try to salvage your comment, you…!"

"Ow, ow, ow! Seriously, stop that! You might break a bone or something!" Something rustled in the bushes, causing both of us to quiet down. After a few tense seconds, several bug-like Pokémon crawled out. They were of varying sizes, the biggest no bigger than my foot. They had big yellow heads covered with leafy hoods and small green bodies. They went by us in a line, not saying anything as they all disappeared into another set of bushes. All except for the last one, who stopped and looked up at us with its beady black eyes, wiggling its little orange snout and showing off its tiny white fangs.

In an instant, Black had his Pokédex out. "Sewaddle, the Sewing Pokémon. A Bug/Grass type. It makes clothes for itself by chewing up leaves and sewing them together with their sticky thread. They're popular among fashion designers for this." He stared at the Sewaddle before starting to smile. "It looks like the sort of Pokémon Bianca would catch just 'cuz it's cute." Sure, it looks cute…until it tears us apart. Even tiny Bug type Pokémon were capable of killing humans like they were…well, bugs.

The Sewaddle crawled over to our feet and began to poke Black's shoe with its fangs. "EEEEE! Get it away, get it away, get it away!" I repeated quickly over and over, shaking my head.

"Hey, little guy. You're gonna get left behind if you stay here," Black said as he got down and started nudging the bug away. As if realizing what he had said, the Sewaddle turned around and hurriedly crawled away. Black stood up and began to look thoughtful. "Y'know, now I wanna catch a Sewaddle. What about you?"

"We don't have time for catching Pokémon! We need to find Team Plasma!" I hissed. I stiffened as I started to hear voices "What's that? More little creepy crawlies coming out to play…?" I said with a hint of a whine.

"I heard it, too. It sounds like people… Maybe it's Team Plasma!"

We got on our knees and crawled into the bushes, to my dismay. We peered through the leaves and saw four Plasma Grunts resting on the ground. Next to them was the dragon skeleton's skull and three sacks.

"Who knew…an empty head…could be so heavy…?" The only female Grunt panted as she fanned herself.

"You wouldn't have had to carry it the whole way if you brought a bag like the rest of us," said one of the men.

The female Plasma member gritted her teeth, saying, "I assumed the only thing we would be taking was the skull."

"It was a last minute decision by Sage Gorm. He believes something among these artifacts will help the king."

"Ugh…! I wish he hadn't made that decision…! Then maybe you guys would see just how freaking _heavy_ this thing is!"

"When we meet up with the sage, he'll have more men with him. Have _them_ help you carry the load." While the three men got up and got their stolen possessions, the woman failed at picking up the skull. "Stop dawdling! We can't keep our comrades waiting."

"Urrrrgh! You guys…don't know how heavy this thing is! I'm still exhausted! Will one of you guys at least help me out?"

The man who acted like the leader of the group looked at another, younger-looking man. "Help her carry it."

"Huh? Me, s-sir?" He stuttered, looking nervous.

"I saw what you took. It was only a pair of stones. Just put 'em in your pocket and help her out."

"Um… Okay…"

"HOLD IT!" Black shouted as we got out of the bushes. "We're taking that skull back and taking _you_ in, Plasmids!"

"AH!" The Plasma grunts dropped the stolen artifacts in surprise.

"You morons! If we crack it, we could be punished!" The leader shouted. "You!" He pointed at the lone female. "Keep 'em busy while we get to the meeting spot!"

While the older men began picking up the skull, the younger cried, "B-but what about the rest of this stuff?!"

"Yeah, I thought they were important, too!" Said the woman.

"The skull is of greater importance to us. Just pick it up when you're finished with these children!" And then they sprinted off surprisingly fast, the younger running behind them.

The woman held out a pair of Poké Balls. "Alright. Listen, you kids! Team Plasma fights for the freedom of Pokémon!" In a flash of light, a pair of Pokémon appeared. One was a Trubbish, a small green Pokémon with a body that looked like an old trash bag tied up into a bunny-eared knot and tiny arms that resembled refuse, the other was interestingly enough a Grimer, which was essentially a living pile of dripping sludge. Both species were born from garbage and waste, were dangerously poisonous, and were usually a reminder not to pollute and litter. The second similarity was what made me shudder. "We'll liberate your Pokémon and spare them anymore pain!"

"Save your little speech!" I took out two of my own Poké Balls and looked to Black. "What're you waiting for? Go after the ones who ran away!"

"What? I'm not gonna leave you here all alone!"

"I'll be fine. The skull is the main priority, right?"

"…Right. Just be careful, White!" Black shouted as he ran past the young woman.

"What?! W-wait! I'll get in trouble, you stupid…! Ugh! Be grateful that my king said we can't use Pokémon to hurt people, or you'd both be sorry!" The female grunt growled. "As much as I hate to do this, I'll use my Pokémon to set yours free from your tyranny!"

"_My_ tyranny? You just said that if it weren't for your so-called king, you'd make your Pokémon _kill me_!" In a flash of light, I released Tiny and Eve.

"Yaaaay! The museum! I—" Eve stopped and took a look around. "…This is a _forest_! Where's the museum?"

"No time to explain. Apprehending criminals. I need your help!" I probably spoke quickly.

"Ewww…! Those guys look all gross and yucky. They need a bath…" The Eevee commented, earning herself a glare from the pair of Poison types.

"Chu…!" Tiny cried, looking upset. Maybe he was remembering what happened the last couple of times we ran into Team Plasma.

"I'm so sorry, dear little ones, but justice sometimes hurts!" The female grunt proclaimed. "Grimer and Trubbish, use Sludge!" At the same time, her Grimer and Trubbish took deep breaths and spewed out purple sludge. I didn't have to tell them to dodge—Tiny and Eve were smart enough to realize that the stuff was dangerous and darted out of the way. When it hit the ground, the grass turned black and withered and the poison mixture made a small, but deep-looking hole.

"Tiny, use Thunder Shock on Grimer! Eve, use Quick Attack on Trubbish!" I commanded. Tiny unleashed a jolt of electricity on the Sludge Pokémon while Eve dashed forward and tackled into the Trash Bag Pokémon.

"Grimer, use Mud Slap!" The Plasma grunt's Grimer shoved a grimy hand into the dirt and threw clumps of slime-covered mud at Eve and Tiny. The clumps hit, effecting the Pichu more than it did the Eevee. "Trubbish, use Double Slap!" At her command, the Trubbish began smacking Eve in the face several times.

"Tiny, use Thunder Shock on Trubbish!" Tiny ran up to the Poison type and jumped onto it. His cheeks crackled with electricity before he shocked the Trubbish. The Trubbish thrashed about until it managed to throw the Pichu off and into a rock. "Eve, Tackle!" With a growl, Eve rammed into the Trubbish with enough force to knock it out.

"No, Trubbish!" The Plasma woman cried out. She sounded like she actually cared that her Pokémon had been knocked out. "You…! How could you be so brutal? My Pokémon weren't even trained for battling!" Then why even challenge me to a battle?

"If you don't wanna fight, just give up and save your Pokémon the pain," I stated.

"…Nobody's here," the grunt whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "No one would rat on me. And it's for the greater good…" I felt uneasy as she stared at her Trubbish's Poké Ball. "For the greater good…! Grimer! Use Disable on them!"

The Grimer took a deep breath and tightened its slimy hands in concentration. Its eyes began to glow with an unsettling yellow light.

"Whaaaaat?" Eve droned as she and Tiny stared at the Grimer. "…Nn! I can't…move! White, help!"

"Ch-chuuu! M-m-mommy…!" Tiny cried out.

"The girl, too!"

"What?! You can't do—!" My sentence was stopped when the Grimer looked me in the eye. I felt my body stiffen up as the feeling of unease became full-blown fear of the Plasma member. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

"I am doing this for the good of Unova's Pokémon. For the ideals of Team Plasma! Grimer, use Poison Gas on _all_ of them! Including the girl!"

Her Pokémon seemed to do a double take. "Huh? But, uh…she's…just a human…" It probably wasn't meant to be an insult. Pokémon could endure each other's attacks better than a human could. While it would take a while for poison to kill a Pokémon, it could kill a normal human being even quicker. Another logical reason for any human to fear Pokémon.

"Don't look at me like that! She's a bad person, the sort that Team Plasma is trying to stop from hurting anymore Pokémon! She has to be done away with for the greater good."

"Well…alright…": As the Grimer began to breathe out a thick plume of purple gas, I wanted to say how killing was _far_ from good and how she was just making her Pokémon a murderer or worse, just a weapon. Or cry and plead for my life, maybe for Black and Mom. Or scream loudly and hope someone would come and save me. But the moment that the smoke entered my nose and my lungs, my vision went blurry and I started to cough violently. My frozen body fell over and I felt the urge to throw up. Was this the end? I avoided death at the hands of a ferocious wild Pokémon as a kid, and now I'm going to be killed on a crazy, hypocritical criminal's command.

"I'm…sorry…" I coughed out, staring at Tiny and Eve. I felt my eyes water up with tears before I fell unconscious.

**X-X-X**

_I was alone, lost in a forest that seemed so much more dark and frightening when there was no sun out or noise from wild Pokémon. It also seemed to get colder. At some point, I was able to see my breath in the form of mist. Any other time, I'd have thought it to be cool, but at that moment, all I wanted was to leave and go home. I'd even endure my parents' scolding if it meant being warm in my house._

_I heard a noise that made me jump. It was the sound of foliage being shifted. Soon, I could see shapes moving towards me. When they got closer, I saw that they were Deerlings and Sawsbucks. I tried to wave hello and ask for help, but they ran right past me, just like every other Pokémon I met. Trailing after them was a limping Deerling whose fall coat was coated with frost. Despite its poor state, it looked like it was limping as quickly as it could in the direction of the others._

"_Hey. Hey!" I grabbed hold of the Deerling's neck, trying to make it stop, but it just dragged me along until I started walking with it. "Can you help me out? I'm lost and I—" I stopped when I realized that the Deerling was muttering to itself._

"_Have to run! Have to run! I want to live! I don't want to die! I want to live!"_

"_What's…the matter?"_

"_It's coming. Have to hide or we'll die. Have to hide or we'll die. There's no beating it. Can't let it see me._

"_What're you talking about?"_

_At that moment, a loud roar sounded throughout the forest. Frost seemed to cover the ground and the trees at the very noise. I fell back in surprise and the Deerling limped off with renewed vigor. I was too surprised by the noise to notice that it was now gone. I got onto my feet and observed the newly made frost before I saw a shadow moving in the darkness. Something large and heavy enough to make the ground shake as it moved. I hid behind a tree and cowered as I heard the footsteps come closer and closer…_

**X-X-X**

"White. White." That was a voice.

I struggled to open my mouth to speak, "Is that you…God?" I opened my eyes. It's funny how God looked like N with a Zorua perched on his shoulder.

…Wait a minute.

"N? Am I dead? Is this…the _bad place_? Is my punishment to have to deal with you for the rest of my afterlife? What'd I do to deserve this?" Looking down, I saw Tiny and Eve standing next to me. "You're here, too? Oh, you guys don't deserve this sort of punishment!"

"White! You're alive!" Eve exclaimed.

"Yay!" Tiny cheered.

I sniffled and couldn't stop the tears welling up in my eyes. Before I knew it, I was hugging them both in my arms and sobbing hysterically. That was my first true near death experience in years, and they almost died along with me. As much as it was the Plasma woman's fault, I couldn't help but feel partially responsible. Like if I was a better trainer, none of this would've happened.

"Stop, stop! You're squeezing the life out of me!" I did as the Eevee said and let them both go, though Tiny jumped onto my shoulder and continued rubbing his cheek against my face. Eve began to frown, though it still managed to look cute on her. "Darn that creep and her smelly Pokémon! If N didn't come along, you'd have probably _died_! For that matter, so could we!"

"…I'm sorry for that." I bowed my head in apology. "If I was a better trainer, I would've been able to stop her before she did that.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but as vicious and cruel as Pokémon battles can be, ordering them to attack an opposing trainer, let alone killing them, is considered illegal," N spoke up, reminding me of his presence. "Between the two of you, she was the worst trainer because _she_ used a Pokémon as if it were a weapon. How such a vile woman was able to join Team Plasma, I do not know."

I stared at him with half-lidded eyes. "…I'm okay, too, by the way. Despite being _poisoned_. It's a miracle I'm not. Maybe I've got a more durable body than I thought."

N looked down at me. "It wasn't a miracle. I merely asked some of my friends who live here for help."

"Friends. As in…Pokémon. _Wild_ Pokémon." I thought about having wild Pokémon close to my body, doing who-knows-what. I suppressed a shudder of fear.

"Petilil and Pansage helped to cure you of your poisoning. And Audino made sure that you would be okay," N further explained.

"And they did this…because you asked them."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because they're my friends."

"No, I meant why did you ask them to help me?"

N tilted his head to the side a bit, his eyes showing confusion. "Because I wanted to help you."

"Why?"

"Because you were poisoned."

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "That's not what I meant! I meant…don't you hate me? Hate trainers like me? Even if you're against people using Pokémon to kill other people, surely you wouldn't care if another _awful trainer_ just died…would you?"

"…I'd care if _you_ died." I just stared in confusion. "I can honestly say you're one of the few trainers I genuinely…like." I stared in disbelief. If he treated someone he liked like he has me, I wonder how he'd speak to someone he _did_ like? Or would he just treat them like he did Bianca and just ignore them? "If you died, that Pokémon would have to live with the guilt of what that woman made him do. And it'd be a shame if you died before I could convince you." For some odd reason, I could understand keeping me alive to further push his ideals onto me better than doing so just because he liked me.

"Speaking of that Team Plasma member, where'd she go?" I stood up and looked around. The sacks of stolen artifacts and the pair of black and white stones were on the ground, just like before, but there was no trace of that crazy woman. "Did she run away while I was practically on the verge of _death_?"

"I sent her away," N began, "After I criticized her and took her Pokémon away from her. I'll free them in a place suitable for them."

"Sent her away?! She's a criminal! She and a bunch of other Team Plasma members stole that stuff from the museum in Nacrene City." I picked up the stones and slipped them into my bag, then I picked up the sacks. I was fortunate that the stuff inside was relatively light, but I had to make sure I didn't accidentally break anything. "Whatever. I've got to find Black. Bye! Come on guys."

I ran off, suddenly fearing for Black's safety. If one of those creeps was drastic enough to consider murder, imagine what it would be like if it was three against one?

**X-X-X**

I don't know why I was so worried. By the time I caught up with Black he was ordering his Pokémon to deal the finishing blow on the three Plasma grunts' Pokémon. When their Pokémon was knocked out, he proclaimed, "Now give back the skull! If you do, you probably won't be punished _too_ hard."

"What part of _'No'_ don't you understand, you insufferable brat?!" One of the grunts shouted as he shook a fist at Black. "Besides, why should _we_ have to be punished?! We're doing something great that teenagers are too young to comprehend!"

"Oh, we can comprehend it. That's why we're so against you crooks!" I exclaimed.

Black looked back at me. "White! You got back the rest of the stuff!" I only nodded. I didn't want to tell him about my near-death experience.

"Argh! Can we _please_ deal with him with _extreme prejudice_?" Another grunt complained.

"Do you know what happened to the _last_ person who tried to purposely hurt someone with a Pokémon? And it wasn't even _fatal_! Sage Gorm would _kill_ us if we actually _killed them_!" I arched an eyebrow at that. The guy who they seemingly reported to was against this sort of thing, but they were willing to do it? It seemed so off.

"W-well, what do we do?!' The third grunt cried.

"We…RUN!" The Plasma trio shouted as they started to run through a large hollow tree that seemed to have fallen.

"You've gotta admit: if they weren't bad guys, they could be athletes!" Black said before we started to run after them. He looked up at Valentine, who was flying overhead. "Val! Go peck that guy in the back on the head!"

Valentine suddenly flew farther, towards the Plasma grunt that was carrying the skull from behind. She landed on his head and started to peck the man fiercely.

"AHH! Get off of me, you…!" The grunt shouted before he finally dropped the skull and shooed the Pidove away, causing his comrades to fall forward and land on their faces. They both got up and glared daggers at him. "Um… The…the Pidove…!"

"There you are, you thieves!" The grunts jumped and turned around to see Lenora running towards them with Herdier by her side. "If you so much as _scratched_ that skull, I'll stop acting civil towards you and knock your blocks off!"

Just as the Plasma members began shuddering in fear, a voice called out, "Greetings, fellow followers of our king!" We all turned around to see an old man with a mustache walking towards us. He was dressed in funny-looking robes and a hat followed by a dozen or so Plasma members.

"Oh, thank heavens! It's Sage Gorm!" All of the grunts exclaimed, saluting the old man. "Sir! We've retrieved the dragon skull for you, sir!"

"I am afraid to say that your efforts were for naught," the man, Sage Gorm, said, seeming rather regal as he did. "Sadly, it would appear that the skull is unrelated to our goals. Nor is anything within the museum."

"So…we endured all of that for _nothing_?" One of the grunts muttered as they walked away from the skull and towards their comrades.

"Excuse me?! You can't just walk away like nothing happened!" Black shouted at them. "At least say you're sorry, old man!"

"How dare you talk to Sage Gorm like that, you little brat?!" One of the grunts behind the sage shouted.

"How else am I supposed to talk to a guy from a group who's acted the way you have?! Stealing Pokémon, stealing from people…even saying that you'd _kill people_! All for a goal that's supposed to be peaceful!" Black clenched his teeth and began to glare. "Just…JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HUH?!"

The grunts were about to speak up when Gorm held up a hand to stop them. "I am Gorm, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma. It is our duty to help the king of Team Plasma liberate the Pokémon of Unova, be it with words or with force."

I couldn't take it anymore. I picked a rock up off the ground and clenched it tightly before I threw it at Gorm. But, to my dismay, the grunts were so loyal that one ran out in front of him to try and catch the rock…and got hit in the face instead. If looks could kill, the grunts' glares could kill me, and mine would kill them all ten times over. "What a crock! If you can't convince people to give up their Pokémon, then you'll tear them apart? You think that calling what you do _'righteous'_ and _'justice'_ makes it okay and excuses what you do? It doesn't!"

Lenora grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back, stepping forward in my place. "What you're doing isn't liberation. It's _stealing_, plain and simple. Good intentions don't excuse crimes, and neither does simply giving back what you've stolen because you changed your mind! Though I'm not even sure your intentions are good, either…"

Sage Gorm narrowed his eyes. "Say what you will, Gym Leader Lenora, but we shall steal from trainers to give their Pokémon the freedom they deserve! We will not tolerate it if you or anyone associated with the Pokémon League interferes with our goals. Otherwise, we will be forced to use _extreme_ measures. And though I will not like it…I will tolerate it to help accomplish our goals." Several grunts pulled out small black balls and threw them to the ground, causing them to burst and release thick smoke. By the time the smoke cleared, Team Plasma had disappeared.

"Darn. They got away…" Black muttered.

"They certainly _do_ seem fast to run," said Lenora. "I'll have to notify the other Gym Leaders about what happened…and perhaps the rest of the Pokémon League. Team Plasma might be more serious than just a bunch of passionate protesters." She looked at the two of us and smiled. "Thank you for your help. Even if they decided not to steal everything again."

"But…they ran away. We didn't even catch _one_," I grumbled.

"You got the museum's artifacts back for me. That's enough to earn my thanks. So, think you could help me some more and help me carry this back?" Lenora asked, pointing down at the skull.

"O-oh! Sure! I'll help. If those three Plasma goons could carry it while running, I should be able to carry it alone while walking," Black said, flexing his imaginary muscles.

"You don't have to do it alone! I'll just call out some of my Pokémon to help."

"It's okay! I can…hrrrrgh!" Black attempted to pick it up by himself and failed.

Kaito sighed. "You can't do anything like this on your own." He walked over and tried to help pick it up, but even his added strength didn't get that skull an inch off the ground.

I shook my head. "Cut out the macho act and let's get out of here already…!"

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**Premier Balls are actually no better than Poké Balls. You can't buy them whenever you want in-game, but rather get them as a bonus for buying 10 Poké Balls at once from a Poké Mart.**

**Tympole learns Mud Sport via breeding. Timburr learns Rock Smash and Fling via TM.**

**Edwin is Old English and means "rich friend".**

**In the games, Disable only makes a Pokémon unable to use its last used move. In the anime and the manga, it shown to make the target incapable of moving.**

**X-X-X**

**Remember to review for Blu and Pichu!**


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own Pokémon or any of its characters. She only owns the personas she attaches to otherwise silent character and Pokémon, and this story._

**X-X-X**

_~A Basic Gym Battle!~_

_OR_

_~VS The Archaeologist with Backbone!~_

**X-X-X**

After helping Lenora return the museum's stolen artifacts, Black, Bianca, Cheren and I were sitting inside of a booth in the Nacrene Pokémon Center's cafeteria.

"Bianca called me to say what happened. I was training on the route outside of the city. If you guys had just called me, I could've helped," Cheren said with a frown as he folded his arms across his chest.

Black huffed and leaned back into the cushion. "I thought you were already on your way to Castelia City. I tried calling you before I left for the gym this morning, but I didn't get through."

"I turned off my Xtransceiver so I wouldn't be disturbed while I was training."

"Then you shouldn't complain about my not calling you!"

"You only called once! In times of emergency, people usually call _more_ than once!"

"It wouldn't matter, anyway, because you wouldn't have been able to pick it up in time!"

"You could've at least _tried_!"

Bianca pouted. "I'm sorry! Maybe if I'd called you earlier, you'd have been able to help them, and maybe you'd have been able to catch Team Plasma!"

Black and Cheren stopped arguing and began to look sheepish. "No, it's not!" They both said.

"Yeah, those guys just disappeared into thin air. Having one more guy wouldn't have made a difference." I gave a disgruntled sigh as I realized this. "I really hope someone deals with those guys soon. This journey's terrifying enough without people like _them_ popping up all over…"

"If what you said is true, the gym leaders will be taking action against Team Plasma now. Maybe even the Elite Four and the Champion if they attempt to harm or kill even more people on purpose," Cheren explained. "The misuse of Pokémon is the sort of thing that the Pokémon League tries to stamp out.

Black looked down sadly. "I just don't understand... How can guys like that say what they're doing is for the good of all Pokémon?"

"In all honesty, I think it's because of those men they follow, like Ghetsis."

I looked at him in confusion. "You know about him?"

"I was unfortunate enough to have caught a little rally he gave when he went through Striaton City. Even though he told people to give up their Pokémon, a lot of them listened to him because he came off as so…trusting and caring about the plights of Pokémon." He glared down at the table and clenched his fist. "A charismatic person like that could probably convince people to join Team Plasma and commit those heinous acts because it's for the greater good." Those words reminded me of the woman who almost killed me and I shuddered.

"Um…" Bianca wrung her hands together. "Can we talk about something else? I…don't wanna think about Team Plasma any more than I have to…"

"Of course." Cheren looked at me. "So, White, Black told me you're challenging the Pokémon League as well. I didn't think you were even interested in becoming the champion as well."

"I-I don't wanna become the champ! I'm only challenging gyms so I can be exposed to different types of Pokémon and train my own so they can evolve," I explained. "It's a recently added part of my goal that was added by _Black_." I glared at my brother as I said this.

"But it'll help! I'm sure it will! Battling helps bring trainers and Pokémon closer together!" Black spoke cheerily. "So don't you think you should challenge Lenora before we leave?"

I arched an eyebrow. "I don't think she'll accept a challenge when her museum's just been _robbed_."

"Well, you don't know. Besides, the gym isn't located anywhere near the parts of the museum that were robbed. It's in the library all the way to the back."

"I didn't think museums _had_ libraries." I stared up at the ceiling in thought before nodding. "Alright. I'll go and see if Lenora wouldn't mind accepting a challenger today."

"What's everyone else going to be doing?" Bianca asked. Black and Cheren exchanged heated looks. It was obvious that battling each other was on their minds. "Well, _I'm_ going to check out the rest of the museum! I still wanna find something that might help Professor Juniper with her research!"

Cheren broke off his staring contest with Black to give Bianca a pointed look. "You know that if it's already in the museum, the professor already knows about it, right?"

"W-well, I _still_ wanna try to _learn_ something!"

"Okay. It's _your_ journey, you can do what you want." The dark-haired boy looked at me. "By the way, White, you might wanna go before night falls. Gyms don't stay open all day, and the sooner you battle Lenora, the sooner you two can get to Castelia City." Ah. So he's just rushing me so he won't have to wait so long for Black to get his next badge. "Also, Lenora uses Normal type Pokémon. They're weak against Fighting type moves, immune to Ghost type moves, and can be taught attacks of various types, so you should be wary."

"Thank you, teacher. I'm _so_ grateful that I have _you_ to teach me," I spoke sarcastically.

"I'm just trying to help. Even if you don't care about beating the Pokémon League, it doesn't mean you shouldn't give it your best."

"Cheren's right. Besides, if you lose, your Pokémon'll feel bad. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Black asked.

"Of course not!" I didn't want to be a worse trainer than I probably already was…

**X-X-X**

Minutes later, I entered the Nacrene Museum. The exhibit about the Black and White Heroes had been closed off, but the skeleton was still in the same place, its skull back in its proper place.

"Hello there! If you'd like a tour around the museum, I'm afraid one of the exhibits has been… Oh! It's you!" I turned around and noticed Hawes standing next to me. "Have you come to take another look around?"

"Actually, I was wondering if Lenora was accepting challengers for a gym battle. If she isn't, I'll understand." She might've been busy doing some sort of curator business or cleaning up Team Plasma's mess…or simply in a bad mood.

Hawes smiled before he nodded. "She's gone and hidden herself in the back of the museum. A battle might be just the thing she could use to blow off some steam." Hopefully her need to blow off steam wouldn't lead to me getting hopelessly thrashed. "The gym is at the end of that hallway over there." He pointed over to the only hallway whose walls weren't decorated with some sort of artifact. The only thing there was a sign that was emblazoned with a Poké Ball symbol and probably said that the Nacrene Gym was that way.

"Thank you," I said with a slight nod before I started walking.

"Wait!" I almost stumbled at the sound of Hawes's raised voice. "I really meant it when I said that Lenora's gone and hidden herself away. You'll have to search around if you want to find and challenge her."

"…Seriously?" I sighed. Isn't there a rule that Gym Leaders can be challenged at any time? Wasn't hiding herself away just cheating and avoiding having to give away badges? Maybe I'm just overthinking things.

**X-X-X**

When I entered the part of the museum that was considered the Nacrene Gym, my mouth opened a bit in awe. I'd walked into a large room with rows of _long_ bookshelves. It looked like a bookworm's dream. Maybe it was a good thing Bianca didn't come, since this seemed intimidating even to _me_—and I spent a large amount of my young school days hiding in the library. The library back home wasn't even _half_ as big as this one. I could even see a second floor, filled with more books! "And I'm expected to find a person in all of _this_?" I found myself speaking out loud.

"Chuuu…!" A familiar yellow head poked out of my bag and looked up at me. "Mommy!" He climbed up my arm and onto my shoulder to nuzzle against my cheek. "Chu~!"

"Hey there. Are you ready to take on a gym?" Tiny's attention was diverted to our surroundings. "It's in a library this time. This place has got tons of books. If you were interested in reading…or _could_ read…I'd try to find you something while we search." The Pichu tugged at my hair and pointed at something nearby. It was a sign on one of the counters near the entrance that read _'For challengers of the Nacrene Gym'_ and had an arrow pointing at a pile of books next to it. I walked over to the counter and picked up the book. "_'Nice to meet you, Pokémon'_" I pronounced out loud. It looked like a children's book. I looked around. Nobody else was there, it seemed. Was I expected to just read it? I started to leaf through the pages quickly, occasionally reading passages to Tiny, who seemed to like the book and its illustrations. To sum it up, it was a story about a little boy who made friends with a Patrat. On the last page was a piece of paper with a message:

"_Hello, Pokémon Trainer! I am Lenora, the Gym Leader of the Nacrene City Gym! I'm hidden somewhere in this gym and the only clues to where I am are in four memos that I've hidden in books around the library—just like the one you're reading now. Think you can solve them and find me?_

_Question 1: What is the first Pokémon you saw in this gym? You'll find the answer in a book somewhere in a bookshelf in the middle row!"_

I stared at the message for a while. "…She wants me to play a game of hide and seek with puzzles? I swear Gym leaders come up with the weirdest things to make life harder for trainers…!" I muttered as I put the book down and made my way to the row of bookshelves in the middle of the room. "I already know what Pokémon I saw in this gym, technically speaking. It's the Patrat from the book…" I scanned the bindings of the books, climbing up a foot-tall ladder to find the intended book. "_The Biology of the Patrat and Watchog._ A book on how only those two Pokémon work? Well, it just looks like another book for kids…"

I pulled out the book and started to read it. It was mostly words with a few pictures of Patrat and Watchog, their evolution, and the various uses for parts of their bodies. And just like with the last book, there was a memo on the last page.

"_Of course you could figure out __**that**__ question! The second one won't be so easy, though!_

_Question 2: Flames burn within its body and it gives off smoke from its head while it runs. Here's a hint: there used to be several here in Nacrene in the past before Pinwheel Forest grew in."_

"What's she talking about? A Pokémon?" I held my hand to my cheek, trying to remember what Black had said yesterday… "Um… He said there used to be a train station!" I exclaimed. "The next clue is in a book about trains!"

**X-X-X**

For minutes, I searched the library for books and memos from Lenora. The second book I found was in the Genera Studies section: _'The Structure of Locomotives'_, which I didn't bother reading as I just went to the last page to find the memo.

"_Impressive! If you've made it this far into my challenge, maybe you've got what it takes to face me!_

_Question 3: There is a sweet delicacy that originates from a foreign land. It's a baked treat that can be eaten by anyone, but is mostly fed to Pokémon for the sake of grooming. Hint: the answer is in the same area that you found your first question in!"_

I didn't even bother expressing my growing annoyance. I walked all the way back to the counter with the pile of children's books. I scanned through all of them, giving the ones that held no answers to Tiny so he could look at the pictures. In the end, I found what I was looking for on the bottom of the pile. A book called _'Homemade Treats for Pokémon'_ that described all sorts of foods that people could make themselves and feed to their Pokémon. I flipped through the pages until I found the memo stuck opposite of a page about Poffins, which came from Sinnoh.

"_You're so close now! There's only one thing left for you to do:_

_From this counter, move two bookshelves backward, one shelf left, two shelves forward one shelf right, and one shelf backward. Now where am I? No hints this time. Find me for yourself!"_

"Now it's _really_ turned into a game of hide and seek," I spoke as I walked away from the counter, followed by Tiny, who had looked sad to abandon the pop-up book he'd been looking at. After only a minute, I wound up in front of a bookcase that had a book sticking out of it awkwardly. I pulled it out and found a memo on the very first page.

"_Congratulations! You were sharp enough to make your way here! I look forward to our battle!_

_P.S.: Press the button that was underneath this book."_

I looked down and saw a button. I pressed it and stepped back in surprise as the bookcase slowly slid back to reveal a hidden staircase. "Wow! I wasn't expecting anything like _this_!" What sort of things did _other_ gyms have? Nothing too extreme, I hope. I'd hate it if what drove me away from a gym wasn't the Pokémon or the gym leader, but the very place itself. I looked down at Tiny, who was staring down at the staircase in awe. "Ready to go?" He nodded and followed me down the stairs into an underground room that had bones and skulls in glass display cases, shelves filled with books and a desk with pieces of paper. And leaning back against the desk was Lenora.

"Impressive. You certainly knew what you were looking for faster than your brother," the woman stated as she put her apron down on her desk. She pushed herself off the desk and walked over to a door behind it. She gestured for me to follow and led me into a wide room with a simple red floor emblazoned in the middle with a gold-colored Poké Ball symbol. "This is where we'll be holding our battle. So…" She turned her head towards me. "White Ketchum from Nuvema Town is my opponent. I take it you also only have one badge?"

"Um…yes. I…" I scratched my cheek, feeling a bit nervous now. Unlike the Striaton Gym, which had a restaurant crowd and my brother watching, I was all alone in the Nacrene Gym with my opponent. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke up, "What was the point of all those puzzles?"

"It lets me see what sort of trainers my challengers are. I believe that trainers should be smart, not only in battle, but in life as well!" Lenora gave an impish smile. "And I like puzzles." But enough pleasantries. Officially introducing myself, I'm the director of the Nacrene Museum and Leader of the Nacrene Gym, Lenora!" The older woman announced as she put a hand on her hip. "And I'm going to research how you battle with your Pokémon!" She held up three fingers. "Since you're only starting out, let's say whoever wins two battles is the winner. Hopefully you've got at least two Pokémon?" I nodded in silence. "Good!"

We took our places on opposite ends of the arena. Tiny was about to run out on the battlefield when I grabbed hold of him and told him, "Not now. I'll be using someone else first okay?" He looked dejected as he gave a sad-sounding squeak.

"Alright! For my first Pokémon, I choose…" Lenora threw out a Poké Ball and released a small, gray, rodent-like Pokémon with large ears and a long, fluffy tail, all white-tipped. "Minccino!"

"Minccino?" I took out my Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon. According to its entry, it was the Chinchilla Pokémon, it used its tail for cleaning and it liked to keep both itself and its habitat neat and tidy. I didn't need to check to see that it was a Normal type, though.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Good luck!" I shouted as I released Panacea in front of me.

"I'll do my best, Miss White!"

"You can do it, Panacea! Start things off with Attract!"

Panacea winked at Lenora's Minccino and blew a kiss at it. However, instead of getting a smitten look on its face, the Chinchilla Pokémon just gave a high-pitched. "H-huh?! That should have worked!"

Lenora smiled. "Nice try, but Attract only works on Pokémon who are the opposite gender of the Pokémon who uses it on them." In other words, it was female. An easy mistake. I couldn't tell a Pokémon's gender from mere looks alone. "Now, Minccino! Use Encore!"

Minccino suddenly began to clap and exclaim, "Encore! Encore! One more time!"

Panacea blushed and her eyes almost looked like they had stars in them. "O-oh! You want me to do it again? W-well, if you insist."

"What? _No_! Don't do it again!" I exclaimed as the Audino pointlessly performed Attract yet again. When she started to do it a third time, I called out, "Stop it! It's not going to work!

"That's the charm of Encore! A Pokémon affected by it will only perform the last move it used because it believes its opponent likes the way they did it" Lenora explained again. "And while your Audino is busy performing, Minccino will be using Double Slap!"

With a cry, Minccino darted forward. When she spun around, she began striking Panacea across the face with her tail. With the last blow, the Audino fell down onto her back.

"Ow…! Wh-what was I doing?" Panacea asked, looking around in confusion.

"Oh, good! You're awake! Attack now with Pound!" I exclaimed quickly. At that command, the Audino got up, charged forward and slapped the Minccino across the face. "That's it! Now use Double Slap!" Panacea began to smack her opponent several times, the final blow resounding with a loud sound before the Minccino fell back, twitching.

"Well, that's one for you," Lenora said as she returned her Pokémon into its ball. "But it isn't over yet!" She took out another Poké Ball and released a Watchog—Patrat's evolved form. It stood straight and tall with its arms folded across its chest, its large red and yellow ringed eyes glaring at Panacea. Overall, _not_ a Pokémon I'd want to see in the middle of the night. "If you'd like, you can switch out your Audino for another Pokémon."

I looked over Panacea. Despite being slapped about several times, she didn't seem injured. Either she was stronger than she looked or that Minccino was weaker than I thought. "No, I won't." I wasn't sure if Attract would work, since I didn't know if Lenora's Watchog was male or female, so I decided to use another one. "Panacea, use Growl!" The Audino opened her mouth wide and gave a loud, cute growl. It was enough to make the Watchog step back and eye her more suspiciously.

"Don't be afraid, Watchog!"

"I'm not afraid!" Her Watchog fumed, clacking her teeth in annoyance.

"Use Screech on her Audino!" The Lookout Pokémon took a breath and gave shrill shriek that reminded me of Woobat. Panacea gave a cry and folded her ears in an attempt to block the noise. She bent over, shaking. "You see, Audino's hearing is as sensitive as it is excellent. It can handle a little growl, but something as loud as a Screech like Watchog's is incredibly painful," Lenora explained. "So while she's reeling in pain and her guard's down, Watchog will attack with Retaliate!"

Lenora's Watchog suddenly lunged forward and tackled Panacea. The Audino was knocked back and landed on the floor, unconscious.

"So now we're tied. Would you like me to switch out my Watchog for another one of my Pokémon? Something _not as strong_?" I couldn't help but give the gym leader a glare. She chuckled and said, "Just like your brother. I'll take that as a _'no'_. In that case, send out your next Pokémon so we can decide this fight."

As if taking that for a cue, Tiny crawled out of my bag and jumped down in front of me. "Chu!"

"No! No _'chu'_! Get back in here!" I tried to pick the Pichu up, but instead he jumped onto my face. "AH! Tiny, this isn't funny at all! Get off!"

"Mommy White! Mommy White~!"

After prying him off, I gave Tiny a stern look. "Now, look! I'm doing this for your safety! If you went up against that Watchog, you'd go down faster than…than a ton of rocks!" His eyes became large and watery. "No." He gave a pleading _"chu"_. "Still no! Go back inside!" I slipped him back inside of my bag, but not without feeling bad as he gave a short cry. Do parents feel like this when they send their kids off to timeout? Oh well. I took out Shion's Poké Ball and said, "Show them what you've got," before releasing her.

"I'll do my best, White!" The Oshawott exclaimed as she brandished her scalchop shell. "You don't scare me!" Watchog narrowed her eyes into a glare as she clicked her buckteeth. Shion gulped. "Well, maybe you _do_, but not for the right reasons."

"Shion, use Focus Energy!" I commanded. Shion got into a battle pose as a bright orange aura radiated around her. "Now use Cut!"

"Hypnosis, Watchog!" Lenora spoke quickly.

"Wait, what?! Stop, stop, STOP!" I said, waving my hands in a panicked fashion. Shion wound up tripping and landing facedown. When she started to get up, the Watchog's eyes began to glow ominously. "STAY DOWN!"

"WAAAH!" Shion dropped back down to the ground, frightened and flailing. "Sorry, Master! I'll do what you say!"

Lenora had a proud look on her face, like a teacher that was happy that her student got a right answer. "I'm glad you realize a move like Hypnosis only works with eye contact. But… Watchog, use Crunch!"

Watchog lunged forward and clamped her fangs down on Shion's head. With an easy flick of her head, the Normal type sent the Oshawott upward. Before she could hit the ceiling, Shion recovered in midair.

"Use Water Gun! Aim for the eyes!" Shion took a deep breath and sprayed water down into Watchog's face. The force made the Lookout Pokémon fall over, holding her paws to her face. While she was doing that, Shion landed on top of her, knocking the wind out of her opponent.

"Phew! That landing might have gone poorly…" The Oshawott looked down at the Watchog curiously. "Are you awake?" She lightly poked the bigger Pokémon in one of her chubby cheeks. "Oh! I think I've knocked her out!"

In the blink of an eye, Watchog sat up and headbutted Shion, causing her to stumble off and backwards. The Normal type growled as she sat up, clacking her teeth menacingly. It actually made me freeze in fear for a moment before Lenora spoke, "Use Crunch!"

"Quick, block!" I shouted shrilly. Shion recovered from the headbutt as the Watchog charged towards her. She quickly raised her scalchop in front of her as the Normal type was about to chomp down on her. The shell wound up hitting Watchog in the teeth hard enough to make a crack in one of them.

After that, it was like everything was moving in slow motion. I stared in shock with my mouth wide open, just like Lenora and her Watchog were doing. But while we were busy being shocked, Shion began a flurry of cuts with her shell that ended with a blow to Watchog's head. The Normal type fell over, holding both paws over her teeth. She flinched and twitched, but she didn't look like she was in the mood to continue fighting. Huh… I think I actually feel sorry for that scary-looking Pokémon.

At least until Shion proclaimed, "I am victorious! Bring on my next opponent!" She then looked down at the Watchog. "Sorry…about your teeth."

It took a while to process what had just happened, and even then, I wasn't really able to speak. Lenora returned her Pokémon to its Poké Ball with a sigh of…relief? Satisfaction, maybe? No matter what sort of sigh it was, the archaeologist approached me with a smile. "Fantastic! You've got the potential to become a great trainer!"

"I wouldn't really say that…especially after my Oshawott chipped your Watchog's tooth like that." I wasn't sure _why_ I felt so bad about that. "And I didn't really do anything at the end there." Right. Shion moved on her own while I was busy gasping over a _tooth_! Someone like _me_ has potential as a trainer. Yeah, right.

"Hey, no need to be so hard on yourself. You're only just starting out as a trainer, but you'll eventually grow into your own way. Everyone does!" Lenora then held out a small, rectangular, maroon-colored pin. "For what you've shown me, you deserve the Basic Badge!" I took the badge and muttered a thanks. "You keep up the hard work and keep learning, and maybe one day you'll be able to challenge the champion of the Pokémon League!"

Oh, great. At this rate, people are gonna start expecting me to challenge the strongest trainers in Unova. Although…I kinda want to see the expressions on Black and Cheren's faces if I became the champion before them.

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**Minccino is not one of the Pokémon used by Lenora in BW, but its evolution, Cinccino, is used by her in some of the tournaments in BW2.**

**Minccino learns Attract via TM. Watchog learns Screech via breeding and Retaliate via TM.**

**X-X-X**

**Read and review for the sake of Pichu!**


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own Pokémon or any of its characters. She only owns this fic._

**X-X-X**

_~The Guiding Light~_

With any business we had in Nacrene City now done, it was time for Black and me to get to our next destination: Castelia City. I was hoping that the trip to Castelia would be easy and without any bumps in the road…but I was traveling with my brother Black, who saw bumps in the road and thought _'adventure'_ instead of _'caution'_. Which was why our trip through Pinwheel Forest was longer than it should've been.

"Black, if you knew how much I hate you right now…"

"Is it as hard as you're gripping my arm?"

At Black's suggestion, instead of taking the normal route through the forest, we wound up walking on the nature trail. His excuse was that he didn't really get to enjoy it the last time we were here because of the Team Plasma incident, but I knew the truth. What he wanted was to go and catch some of the Pokémon that lurked in the forest's depths. Unfortunately, his Pokémon searching took _hours_. By the time he decided to call it quits, the sunlight shining through the trees' leaves was now moonlight, and we were in the middle of a big, darker forest and _lost_. At really annoying moments like this, I'd wish aloud I were an only child…but I was too busy flinching at every scary noise.

"White, calm down! If you're _this_ high-strung, you're gonna die of fright!"

I recovered and immediately latched my hands tightly onto Black's shoulders. "This is all _your_ fault! We wouldn't have gotten lost if you hadn't insisted that we go looking for Pokémon!" I snapped as I started to shake him.

Black glared at me even as I kept shaking him. "_You're_ the one who ran off just because a few little Sewaddles fell on you from the trees! If you just waited for me to catch that _one_ Swadloon, we would've been out of the forest by now!"

"How could _anyone_ keep calm with all those little bugs crawling all over you?!" I shuddered at the memory. I wished I'd just blacked out instead of running off screaming like a lunatic. Then maybe Black would have the common sense to drag me back onto the main road.

My brother sighed and straightened up his hat. "It doesn't matter _whose_ fault it is. We're lost… I wanted to send Valentine out to look for the road so she could lead us back, but…I realized that the trees kind of block the sight of things from above."

"So we're stuck here?!"

"So it seems."

"Don't say it so nonchalantly! We're in danger!"

"It's okay, it's okay! All we need to do is find a place that's big enough to set up camp. …Mom _did_ pack a sleeping bag for you, didn't she?" I pursed my lips and nodded. I had hoped that I would never have to sleep outdoors where not only Pokémon, but the forces of nature itself could up and harm us. Black ignored my expression and smiled. "This'll be great, then! Sleeping out under the stars! I always wanted to go camping, y'know."

I gave my brother a half-lidded glare. "Quit making this sound like it's a pleasant experience," I muttered flatly.

Black gave a nervous chuckle before he patted my shoulder. "Let's try and find a space big enough for us to set up our sleeping bags."

We started walking, but seemed to be unable to find a clearing—or at least that looked comfortable and spacious enough to sleep for the night. In fact, the longer we walked, the closer the trees seemed to come together and the more dangerous the terrain became. Every couple of seconds, it seemed like we were tripping over rocks, rotten logs or a sleeping Pokémon. At some point, we gave up and collapsed onto one of the few sturdy logs around.

"We're gonna die here, aren't we?" I asked gloomily, too tired to properly express my fear. "We're gonna die in a dark, empty forest…at the tender age of 15…."

"It's not the end. We'll just…sleep against this log. And when it's day, I'm sure we'll be able to find our way back to the main road then," Black continued trying to be optimistic. "A-anyway, why don't you go to sleep first and I'll— …Hm?"

"What's wrong?" I tensed up as I saw Black staring in my direction intensely. "Is…is something behind me…?"

He raised his hand and pointed at something over my shoulder. "There's a light over there."

"A light?" I gulped, immediately thinking the worse.

"_Don't start._ It might be a Pokémon Ranger! It's, like, their job to make sure trainers don't get lost or injured on these kinds of routes."

"In the dark?!" I hissed, inching closer to my brother out of instinct. I dared to look over my shoulder at the light he was talking about. It was a bright blue light, definitely _not natural_. "That looks more like the kind of thing people in movies see before they're abducted by aliens!"

"Whatever it is, we need to get closer to have a better look." Black tried to stand up, but my grip on his arm held him down. "White, if we don't move, we won't be noticed!"

"That's the plan."

"_White_. _Move_."

"It could be a serial killer or something!" I dared to look over my shoulder and flinched when I noticed that the light was getting bigger. Almost as if… "Black… It's getting _closer_!"

"Oh, good! That means they've noticed us!" My brother said with a smile. He then started shouting at the top of his lungs, "HEEEYYY! OVER HEEEERE!" I felt my blood run cold. If this were a horror movie, Black would be one of the first ones to go, and I'd be the one who got dragged down with him because I was _stupid enough to follow him_!

The blue light gradually became larger and larger. I could make out a small figure beneath the flame. Eventually, the figure came close enough that we could see it properly. A small, white Pokémon with glowing yellow eyes, the blue flame coming out of the flat top of its head. It looked like a candle.

A Pokémon like a living candle… Why did that seem familiar?

"White, look! It's a Litwick!" Black exclaimed, having already taken out his Pokédex. "Litwick, the Candle Pokémon. Ghost/Fire type. Its flame is usually out, but it starts to shine when it absorbs the life force from others. It tends to do this while pretending to guide others."

I felt my blood run cold. I couldn't help what happened next. I screamed and blacked out, the last thing in my sight being the Litwick's flame.

**X-X-X**

"…_**is a Pokémon first found in Kalos that resembles a sword. It's said to drain the life energy of anyone that grabs its hilt."**__ I gave a whimper. "__**And Drifloon, which resembles a balloon, has been said to steal away children who hold onto it."**__ A shiver ran down my spine.__** "There's also Litwick, who guides people along with the intention of sapping their life away."**__ I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed the remote from off the couch and changed the channel._

"_Hey, what's the big deal?! Don't just change the channel like that!" 10-year old Black complained from his seat next to me. He tried to reach over and grab the remote from me, but I shoved my hand in his face to hold him off._

"_No! No! No! We are __**not**__ watching anymore of that!" I shouted._

"_Why not?! You usually only freak out when you see Pokémon in real life!"_

_I bit the inside of my mouth and glared at my brother with enough intensity to make him back off. "Because Ghost types are one of the most frightening kinds of Pokémon! They all eat souls, and lurk in creepy places, and they're born from the dead…! They're some of the worst Pokémon that exist!"_

"_Pssh. That doesn't mean they're evil," Black said with a pout before he managed to snatch the remote out of my hand. "Aha! Now back to the show!" He pressed a button and the TV was back on the previous channel. This time, a pumpkin-like Pokémon with a stem for a face was being shown onscreen._

"_**It enwraps its prey in its hair-like arms, singing joyfully as its prey suffers in its grasp. Wild Ghost type Pokémon are truly scary, huh?"**_

"_EEEEE!" I hid my face behind a cushion, cowering. "I'm never going to be able to eat pumpkin pie again!"_

"_**If you think the legends surrounding Ghost types are frightening, wait until you hear the ones about Psychic types!"**_

"_Black, if you love me, please, change the channel!"_

**X-X-X**

I quickly opened my eyes, my heart beginning to race the moment I did. My vision was a bit blurry, but I was a little grateful for that. I didn't want to risk seeing that Litwick again. "Huh? What?" I soon realized that I was being carried. "What's going on? Black?"

"Oh, good! You're awake!" Said Black. My vision cleared up a bit and I realized that Black was carrying me piggyback. "Y'know, you're a lot heavier than you look, White." Maybe _you're_ weaker than you think, Black. "Anyway, you don't need to worry. We're gonna be back on the main road in no time!"

I blinked and looked at my brother out of the corner of my eye. "Really…? How?"

"That Litwick said it would help us!"

"…WHAT?!" I shrieked loudly in Black's ear, causing him to drop me suddenly. As I hit the ground, a cry of pain came from inside of my bag and Tiny poked his head out. My attention quickly went from the Pichu to the Litwick that I only just realized was standing a few feet ahead of us, its candlelight glowing ominously. I grabbed Black from behind and began to shake him furiously. "Are you crazy?! Are you _stupid_?! You read the Pokédex entries! You know the rumors! You _never_ follow a Litwick when it offers to guide you!"

"I'm not dumb, White. That's why I decided to catch it."

I blinked and stared at my brother. "You…you _caught_ that thing?! That's the exact _opposite _of _not being dumb_! Are you trying to _kill_ us?!"

"I'm trying to _help_ us! What better person to help us out than a local who knows the terrain?" Black said with a frown.

"A _local_? Black, it's a Ghost type Pokémon. The Pokédex practically says it _kills_ people who follow it. _Let it go_ and let's get as far away from it as possible!"

"Did _you_ read the rest of the entry beyond the opening paragraph?" My brother asked, taking out his Pokédex. He fiddled around with it before he found what he was looking for. "It has been documented that Litwick's life-sapping _'flame'_ uses the same sort of energy as Ghost-type attacks. When they require light, but do not have the desire to feed, they make a Fire-type flame that is visibly different. Ordinarily, though, they keep their flames off because using them tires them out." He turned around and pointed at the Litwick ahead of us. "Just check out its flame. It isn't blue, so it's not gonna try and take our life force."

I frowned. "That doesn't mean a thing! Haven't you heard of lulling your prey into a false sense of security?"

Black groaned and folded his arms across his chest. "When Litwick helps us find our way back onto the main road, maybe then you'll see 'em in a more positive light!"

"And when it attacks us, you're going to do something _smart_ for a change and release it!"

We both began glaring at each other until we realized that the light in front of us was dimming. The Litwick appeared to be getting further away from us now. "Let's focus on keeping up. It's pretty hard to see in the dark," said Black as he walked ahead. I jumped forward and latched onto his arm tightly. I refused to walk in the dark without holding something _human_.

**X-X-X**

Minutes passed as we walked through the dark with only that creepy Litwick as a guiding light. At some point, it stopped hopping and turned around to look at us with its eerie green eyes. I immediately ducked behind Black, but that failed as he crouched down in front of it. "What's the matter, little guy? Um, girl? What gender _are_ you, anyway? I should check—"

"Now's not the time to be checking up on its gender, Black!" I snapped, making Black drop his Pokédex in surprise. "What's the holdup? Wh-why is it just staring at us like that?"

"I dunno. Maybe you should ask him…her… Ask Litwick!" Black picked up his Pokédex. "Huh? That's strange."

"What? It doesn't _have_ a gender?" Because I wouldn't be surprised, what with it being a ghost and a candle combined.

"The Pokédex says there's another Pokémon around here. Galvantula."

"Uh, what?"

"Galvantula, the EleSpider Pokémon. Bug/Electric type. The evolved form of Joltik. They create electrically charged threads to make electrified barriers and electrical webs to trap prey. While their prey is immobilized, they leisurely consume it."

"…WHAT?!" I shouted, making Black jump again.

"Just—just calm down, White! I'm sure it scanned a _sleeping_ Galvantula! Yeah, a sleeping one!" Just then, something fell down on top of us and began to shock us both. Black and I screamed out in pain and we fell to the ground. "What…is this?! I can't…move!" Black cried out in pain. I tried to move, too, but I found myself unable to. The web then shocked us again, preventing anymore attempts to get out of it.

At that point, something large dropped down from the treetops in front of us both. Shown in the dim light was a large spider-like Pokémon. Its body was covered in yellow and blue fur and purple stripes along its rear. It stared at us with two large, blue eyes and four smaller eyes that sat in-between the larger pair. Its pedipalps twitched as they ran over us. I couldn't help but start to cry loudly, which didn't deter the bug Pokémon.

"Alright, then… This should be enough to feed my family for the night," the Galvantula spoke. "Oh! Oh, wait! They're still moving. I guess I'll wait for 'em to stop twitching."

Tiny crawled out of my bag and stared at me. "Mommy okay?"

"No! No! No! Not okay! _Not okay_!" I spoke in a shrill, panicky voice.

"Chuuu…!" Tiny managed to stand up and bit down onto the web. In a few seconds, the web stopped being electrified and Tiny began chewing through the web. That's right… Tiny's ability is Lightning Rod, and that lets him absorb electricity.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Stop that, you little…uh…" The Galvantula spat out a string of silk that stuck to Tiny and retracted it so he could get a closer look at the Pichu. "Weird-looking Emolga?"

"Ch-ch-CHUUUUU!" Tiny used Thunder Shock and tried to zap the Galvantula, but it had no effect. The Bug type retaliated by bringing Tiny closer to his face and biting down on his body. The Pichu cried out in pain.

"Litwick! Help him! Use a Fire type move!" Black pleaded.

Litwick stared at him blankly before turning around to face the Galvantula. The flame on its head grew larger, and a fireball of bluish-white flames tinged with orange burst out and hit the Galvantula on the rear. The flames suddenly spread all over the Bug type's body.

"YEOWCH! Fire! I'm on FIRE! AAAAAAAHHH!" The Galvantula dropped Tiny and ran off screaming, completely forgetting about dragging us away.

"I…blame _you_…for this, Black!" I spoke through gritted teeth.

"It's not _my_ fault it just decided to appear!" Black snapped back at me. "Anyway, we have a serious problem here. I can't move. Can you?"

"N-no…!"

"Well, paralysis wears off eventually. But who knows how long it'll take? Hey, Litwick," The Litwick faced him once again with its blank stare. "Do you know what Cheri berries look like?" After a few seconds, the ghostly candle nodded. Black's expression brightened. "You do? Great! I've got some in my bag. They're in a pack with some other berries. Open it and then give each of us one, okay?"

"What?! I'm not going to be fed by that thing!" I exclaimed.

"He just saved your life! And he didn't even use his ghostly flame! What more proof do you want?" The Litwick hopped over to Black's side and unzipped his bag. I couldn't see what was happening, but I could hear the sound of things rustling. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't see anything that was moving about in the dark. After a moment of silence, Black gave a cheer. "Aha! Thanks, Litwick!" The sound of him chewing something followed.

The Litwick hopped into my view holding a stem of Cheri berries and I froze in fear. The Ghost type took advantage of my cowardice and shoved a Cheri into my mouth. The mild spiciness agitated my taste buds and I sat up on my knees, spitting out what I didn't eat. "Bleh! I hate spicy things…" I then realized the Litwick was staring up at me blankly. In a second, I was crawling over to Tiny, not only to heal him, but to not have to look at that spooky Pokémon again. Tiny regained consciousness, but he still looked tired out. "Are you okay, little guy? Why don't you take this time to rest?" I recalled him into his ball.

"Let's keep going. It's not safe around here," said Black. It's not safe _anywhere_. "Lead the way, Litwick!" Yeah, to our _demise_…

**X-X-X**

Against my better judgment, we continued following the Litwick. Moments passed in silence that were caused by anxiety and fear—for _me_, anyway. If Black didn't care about his newly caught Pokémon possibly killing us, I doubt he'd care about the dark, fear-inspiring darkness that surrounded us. Or the sounds of nocturnal Pokémon moving about. Or the other light in the distance. …Wait a minute. Oh, no.

"Hey, look! Another light's over there! It could be a Pokémon Ranger!" Black exclaimed.

"You're still clinging onto that hope, huh?" I asked flatly. "It _could_ be another Litwick. That _thing_ could just be taking us to meet others like it, so they can _eat our souls_!"

My brother frowned. "A little optimism won't _kill you_, y'know!"

"No. _That thing_ will!"

"Quit calling him a thing! …Her. What the heck gender _are_ you? Never mind! The point is that you don't call Tiny a thing, do you?"

"Tiny's not a soul-sucking candle!"

"Neither is Litwick!" I gave a derisive scoff while Black rolled his eyes. "The worst thing Litwick's done to you was _look_ at you! _You are overreacting_! Just...chill out!" I opened my mouth to retort when I noticed the light getting closer. I reacted by making a high-pitched squeak and began to hide behind Black. He sighed and shook his head. "And calm down!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't remain calm in the face of phantom lights!"

"The more you yell, the more Pokémon you'll wake up!" I immediately clammed up. Black grabbed my hand and began to drag me along. "Hello there! We're lost!" He called out as we approached the light.

"Really? I am, too!" …Why did that voice sound familiar? As the light got closer, it revealed a familiar face. "Black! White! I thought I recognized those voices," Bianca said with a look of relief. She looked down and noticed the Litwick and proceeded to crouch down and coo. "Awwww, and who's _this_ little cutie?"

"D-don't get too close to it! The Pokédex says it could eat your soul!" I yelled. Bianca didn't seem to hear me over the noises she made in admiration of the Litwick. As I was rolling my eyes, I noticed the flashlight in her hand. "Hey, you've got a flashlight?"

"Oh, this? I needed something to look for N after we separated, and I remembered that I packed it."

"Why were you looking for _N_?"

The blonde flinched and began to nervously fidget. "Um…"

"Never mind. Don't care. What's important is that now that you're here, we can use your flashlight to find our way in the dark instead of this creepy Litwick! So go on and let it go, Black."

"I'm _not_ getting rid of Litwick, White, no matter how much you want me to," Black responded flatly. "Although...it _would_ be a good idea to let the little guy—or girl—rest. Alright, Litwick. You deserve a rest." That's the first sane thought you've had all night!

For the first time since we encountered it, the Litwick made an expression: it frowned. For a moment, it seemed like its eyes glowed. Then, Bianca's flashlight began to flicker. After a moment, its light went off. Bianca pouted. "What?! Oh, come on! I put in new batteries for this thing before I left home! I've never even used it until tonight!"

"Maybe they weren't good batteries, or the flashlight's faulty. Do you have anymore?"

"_Seriously_?!" I couldn't help but speak up in a high pitch. "It was that _thing_ that did it! It wouldn't be able to lead us wherever the heck it wants to go if it was in a Poké Ball! I'm telling you, it's bad news! Just let it go! Please, please,_ please_!"

My brother frowned. "Okay, now you're just looking for excuses." He looked to Bianca, who was shaking the flashlight in an attempt to jolt some part of it into working again. "You can come with us, Bianca."

Bianca stopped shaking the flashlight and pouted. "Um… Is it alright if I do?"

"Of course! We couldn't leave you out here lost in the dark!"

"I meant is it alright to be around that Litwick? The Pokédex—"

"Doesn't count for the entirety of a species. Litwick's nice! You'll see!"

"Doomed. We're all doomed, I tell you…" I muttered under my breath as I held a hand over my eyes.

"You'll be great company compared to Miss Doom and Gloom over here…" Black added, sounding annoyed.

**X-X-X**

After Bianca joined our group, the atmosphere became a bit lighter. Mainly because she and Black conversed about various topics. I, however, silently worried about our fate and tried to ignore the giant living candle that was probably going to devour our souls.

"By the way, what were you doing with N?" Black asked. "You said you got separated from him and that you were looking for him when you ran into us."

"Um, yeah. I just ran into him while I was looking around the forest for…something," Bianca answered with a pout. "We talked for a bit and…I guess I said something that made him angry, because he left looking pretty upset."

"And you actually wanna _find_ him?" I asked in a discouraged voice. "Because I think he'd feel right at home in a dark, scary forest teeming with Pokémon rather than with us."

"It wouldn't do for him to be lost out there. I mean, he has his Pokémon with him, but I can't help but be worried. Horror movies have taught me that it's _never_ safe to be lost in the dark." Really? Horror movies taught me _you should fear ghosts_, but here we are. "Hey, look! Light!" The blonde pointed at a pair of lights that were coming towards us. In seconds, a pair of Litwicks appeared in front of us, their eyes yellow and their flames a pale purple. "Oh, it's just more Litwicks… I was hoping it'd be someone who could help us get back on the main road…"

I got a look at the Litwicks' faces. They wore shady, devious smiles. I gulped and tried to pull Black and Bianca away. "Guys, remember what I said about that Litwick leading us to our demise? I think we found it."

"Only a dozen or so times, it seems," Black muttered. "These Litwicks are probably just some friends of his—or hers. Maybe they'll help us, too! More light's always good in a situation like this…" At that moment, Black's Litwick hopped behind us. "Huh? What's wrong, Litwick?" The candle-like Pokémon's blank expression became more malicious. Its mouth curled up into a smirk before its flame went out, followed by the flames of the other two Litwicks.

"Black…" I began. The Litwicks' flames relit, now back to having their unusual colors and soul-sucking properties. "I WAS RIGHT! AND I WISH I WAS WROOOOOONG!" I sobbed as I grabbed onto Bianca for support.

"Wh-what is this? Litwick! I thought we were friends!" Black exclaimed, trying to turn around to look at his more than disobedient Litwick. But he stopped in mid-turn. "I…I can't move my legs!"

"WHAT?!" I struggled to move my legs as well. "I can't, either! It's like my legs are paralyzed or something!"

"M-me, too!" Bianca stuttered with tears in her eyes.

"One of them must have Shadow Tag! The Pokédex said that it's a rare ability Litwick can have that stops enemies from leaving if they're on their shadow!" Black explained.

"S-stops…from…leaving…?" I whimpered. If I had the power to drop to my knees or faint, I would've done so then and there, but I could only stand and stare blubbering, "We're going to die. WE'RE GOING TO DIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO DIE LIKE THS!"

"I know! There are so many things I wish I hadn't done! I wish I could take back what I said to my dad and tell him I love him!" Bianca cried as well.

"Me, too!" I didn't mean to say that out loud, but I figured if I was going to die, I may as well have buried a single hatchet before my body would be—if it was ever going to be found. Or have anything _to_ find.

"This…this is all _my_ fault," Black spoke hollowly.

"Oh, Black…! It's not your fault! These are just mean Pokémon!"

"Not mean! _Natural_! This is what all Pokémon are deep down inside—they'd sooner kill a person than wanna be friends with them!" I snapped.

The blonde girl pouted and shoved me lightly. "White! You're only saying that because you're afraid right now!"

"Of course I'm afraid! We're gonna die! This is just like a horror movie!"

"White's right… They're acting just as wild Pokémon should," Black began. "Just like that Galvantula a while ago, some are gonna look at humans and see nothing but easy prey. It's only natural...but even prey in the wild can fight back!" He grabbed a ball on his belt and threw it up into the air. "To the trees, Kaito!"

In a flash of light, Kaito appeared and grabbed onto a tree branch. "Wh-what the heck?! I didn't think you were gonna _toss me up here_ when you said that!"

"Uh, I'm sure you're angry, but h-help. I'm not…feeling well…" My brother panted and began to slump over. The feeling was mutual. Simply being in their presence was enough to

Kaito looked down at the Litwicks below and sprayed quick bursts of water out of his mouth. The Ghost type Pokémon turned to avoid their flames getting wet, but were unable to react quickly enough to avoid the water altogether, so it struck their small bodies. Kaito continued spraying water down, even getting some on us in the process in his frantic attack on the Litwicks. At some point, it looked like the candle-like Pokémon were exhausted from the forceful shower, and also frightened. They then began to shrink right before our eyes, until neither they, nor their light was visible. Which meant we were in the dark…_again_.

"What…what just happened?" I spoke softly, frightened.

"They just…shrank! I didn't know Pokémon could do that!" Bianca whispered.

"That was Minimize they used, I think," my brother spoke up. "I think I can see their flames."

"Oh, yeah! They look like fireflies…"

We watched silently as the shrunken Litwicks, whose flames made them look like purple and blue fireflies as they ran off, leaving us alone in the dark. I heard something fall from out of the trees and land on top of someone who sounded an awful lot like Black as they screamed. "Black? Black? I think I killed Black!" Kaito exclaimed. "…Oh, wait. He's snoring. Did he fall asleep?"

"I'm kind of tired too," I heard Bianca speak as I felt the urge to collapse onto my knees.

"So am I…" I found myself falling over and closing my tired eyes. I don't know if it was the energy draining from the Litwicks, the weariness from our close encounter with death, or just the fact that we've been up for most of the night. I was tired. And despite common sense telling me it was best to get out of this crazy forest as soon as possible, the rest of my body just didn't care, and I was soon out like a light.

**X-X-X**

When I came to, I felt myself in a familiar position to me: I was being piggybacked by someone. "Mm… Black? Is that you?" I spoke as I kept my eyes closed.

"…Yeah."

"Oh, White! You're finally up," I heard Bianca speak. "I almost thought something was wrong with you after last night, but Black said it was normal for you and to just let you sleep it off."

"I figured it was the least I could do after last night."

"…You released that Litwick, right?"

"As soon as I woke up. I had to destroy the ball to do it, but it was done. I'm…sorry, White." Ah, here comes the apology. I'm going to enjoy this. "I really wanted catching Litwick to work out for you and me."

"Well, Litwick didn't wanna be caught, so there was a flaw in your plan." I then opened my eyes as I registered what he said. "What did you mean by _'you and me'_?"

"I figured if I caught Litwick, it would not only be a great addition to my team, it might…help you…get over Ghost and Fire type Pokémon at the same time. I figured: _'why does she have to catch all those Pokémon and take care of them on her own? I'm her big brother. I should help her get better_'! That's why I wanted you to believe that Litwick was trying to help us, but…it wasn't. In fact, it almost got us and Bianca killed…"

At that moment, I felt something punch me in the arm. I looked at Bianca, who was pouting at glaring at me as if to nonverbally say _'say something to make him feel better'_! I stared at the back of my twin's head before I sighed and looked out of the corner of my eye. "Y'know, Black, if there's one thing I remember from youth, it's that Pokémon are like people. Some Litwick might wanna eat souls, but some might just wanna burn a person to cinders."

Bianca groaned and held a hand to her head. "That's _not_ what you were supposed to say, White."

"It's okay, Bianca. For White, this is progress…I think. She said she thinks Pokémon are people. That means that deep down, White knows there are good Litwick out there, too! And I won't rest until we find one worthy of trusting!" My twin exclaimed, sounding rejuvenated.

"Say _what_?! I never agreed to that!" I exclaimed, tightening my legs around his torso.

"You don't have to! Your big brother will help you get through this in whatever way he can!"

I growled and wrapped an arm around Black's throat, securing him in a chokehold. "I never asked for your help! And you are _not_ the older twin!" We fell over and became a tangled pile of limbs while Bianca watched us.

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**Litwick is never seen with its flame off in-game, even in Pokémon Amie, though its Dex entries do mention that the flame is usually out. The part about its flame being Ghost type and having a different Fire type flame is fanon.**

E**lectroweb cannot cause paralysis, but Galvantula's White Pokédex entry states that the shock of the web—not being trapped—keeps prey **_**immobilized**_** as they eat them, which sounds like paralysis to me.**

**Since Gen IV, Will-O-Wisp is described in-game as having a "sinister, bluish-white flame", but it is often shown as being purple when used. In the anime, though, it's always bluish in some way.**

**In Gen V, Litwick's Hidden Ability was Shadow Tag before being replaced with Infiltrator in Gen VI.**

**X-X-X**

**Review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Pokémon series. She only owns her characters and this fic._

**X-X-X**

_The Odd Bug Out_

"This is so great! Traveling with Black and White, it feels like old times!" Bianca said with a smile.

"It does feel kind of nostalgic, doesn't it?" Black chimed in. "Just like back home."

"No, it's not," I grumbled, still upset and exhausted after the last series of events I had been through. Not even Tiny's nuzzling up against my cheek made me feel better.

Black and Bianca stared at me in confusion, the latter asking, "What do you mean, White?"

"Can you not see something wrong with the group of people here?" I spoke flatly, still looking ahead.

"…Oh! You mean Cheren!" The blonde suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh, right! Well, sucks to be him," my twin said with a shrug.

"I'm not talking about who's missing! I'm talking about the fact that we're still here, lost in a forest with no idea of where the heck we're going!"

"We might be able to find our way out if you ask a Pokémon," Black suggested.

I cast him a withering glare. "You're…_kidding_. After last night, what makes you think I'm willing to trust _any_ wild Pokémon to give me directions, let alone _not kill me_?!" A rustling sound in the bushes made me forget about the issue and instinctively treat Black and Bianca like human shields. "What was that?" I asked warily.

Just then, Bianca's eyes lit up. "Ahhh~! Could it beeee~?" Be what? _Be what_?! A Sewaddle quickly wriggled out of the bushes. I continued to stare at the bug Pokémon while Bianca stared at in awe. "Eeeee! It's adorable! What is it?"

"It's a Sewaddle," Black explained. "They make their own clothes out of leaves."

"Awww, that's so _cute_!"

"…I'm gonna catch it!" Both Black and Bianca spoke at the same time. They then looked at each other in confusion. "What?"

"No way, Black! _I_ wanna catch that adorable little Sewaddle!" Said the blonde.

"But it's part Grass type—it'd be a great addition to my team," said Black.

"Guys, we don't have time to worry about catching Pokémon. Remember? Lost in a forest? Possibly for the rest of our lives?" I tried to interject.

Of course, Black and Bianca were too enamored with the Sewaddle to pay him any mind. They both took out their Poké Balls and released Valentine and Tepig with the intention of battling not each other, but the bug Pokémon in front of them. The Sewaddle's beady black eyes fell on Valentine and it began to sweat. "Buh…BIIIIRRRRD!" The bug screamed before it ran down the path far faster than what I thought a Bug type could.

"Come back! Let's go, Valentine!" Black exclaimed before he ran off, his Pidove flying out in front of him.

"After that Sewaddle, Tepig!" Bianca and her Tepig were the next to run off.

I remained in place, refusing to move. Eventually, they would see how _ridiculous_ they were acting over a _Sewaddle_, of all things! The forest was _crawling_ with them! Geez, the thought made me scare myself… I continued to wait for several minutes. Eventually, I began to yawn. I leaned against a tree, but I soon wound up sitting on the ground and closing my tired eyes.

"Mommy? Mommy? Chuuu…?" I cracked an eye open and looked at Tiny, who was pawing at my face.

"Mommy's gonna rest her eyes for a little while, okay?" I yawned again before closing my eyes once more, ready to get the rest I couldn't get last night.

**X-X-X**

_A small yellow mouse-like creature stood in front of me on its hind legs, only slightly taller because of its black-tipped ears. "This is Pikachu. Can you say Pikachu?"_

"_Choooo…" I crawled a little closer to the Pikachu and began to play with its ears and tails while it flinched each time. I never noticed how uncomfortable it was, though, because I was so into feeling its fur and exploring its shape. "Peee…kaaa…"_

_Eventually, a pair of larger hands took my own hands off of Pikachu. "Uh-uh. Be gentle. Pikachu doesn't like it when you do things like that to it."_

_The Pikachu stared at me in annoyance before it eventually calmed down. It suddenly placed its paws on my cheeks and began rubbing them. I imitated it and started to rub its own cheeks, cooing at the warmth of the electric sacs on its cheeks. "Ah…!" It then got on all fours and started to walk around me. Every time it passed in front of me, I would pet its back until it finally rolled over on its back, ears twitching. I rubbed its stomach for a while before I started hugging it._

"_Do you like Pikachu?"_

"_Pee-ka-chooo!"_

**X-X-X**

I woke up and stretched. My short nap made me feel energized and a lot more comfortable than before, but my dream left me upset. I groaned and rested the back of my head against the tree trunk. "I don't wanna think about those two, so why _am_ I…?" I then noticed that something was wrong. Tiny wasn't anywhere in my sight. "Tiny?!" The Pichu then came out from behind the tree, holding a berry he probably picked up from the ground. I felt relief…until I realized that we were alone. I got up and looked in the direction that the others had run off in. "They _really_ left me behind, huh? Those jerks…!" I looked down at Tiny, who continued eating his berry. "Guess we have to go find them."

**X-X-X**

We started walking for several minutes before I stopped to take off my hat and fan myself. "Geez, how far did they run? It's been minutes and I haven't caught up to them yet!" I slumped over with a sigh. Times like this made me wish I had an Xtransceiver—or _any_ sort of means of communication.

"Heeeelp!" A voice shouted out. "Help meeeee!" I looked around in a panic, not sure where the voice was coming from until I looked up. Above my head on a tree branch was a pair of Pokémon. One was a Pidove that was a bit bigger than Black's. The other was the source of the pathetic-sounding voice: a small red, bug Pokémon that was tied to the branch with what looked like string. Its yellow eyes were wide with fear and the antennae on its head and tail were twitching wildly.

I pulled out my Pokédex to check info on it. "Venipede, the Centipede Pokémon. Bug/Poison type. It discovers what is going on around it by using the feelers on its head and tail. Its bite injects a potent poison that can paralyze large bird Pokémon that try to prey on it." I gulped. "A Puh…Poison type?" Poison types were some of the most dangerous of Pokémon to a human being! With some, all it takes is a poke or a scratch to send someone to the hospital!"

"Heeeeelp!" The Venipede continued crying out, struggling against the string in vain.

"Mommy!" Tiny cried out, waving his paws frantically. "Friend! Help friend!"

"What?! No, Mommy won't do that! It's a poisonous creature, Tiny! And a Venipede at that! I heard they're quite aggressive!" Although the way this particular Venipede was sobbing as he was being pecked at by the Pidove made it seem as harmful as a Magikarp. "This is the cycle of life. Birds eat bugs—Pokémon eat other Pokémon. We can't change that, gruesome as it seems." I tried to ignore the Venipede's sobbing. "Besides, if we stop this, we'd be starving that Pidove."

"Oh, spare me, Mr. Pidove! I don't want to be eaten!" The Venipede pleaded with the Tranquill, having given up and escaping of its own power.

"You're in no position to be asking for pardons," the Pidove said, ruffling its feathers a bit.

"Won't you have mercy on a poor little bug like me?" The bug Pokémon sobbed.

"Why should I have mercy on a _Venipede_? Besides, I've never tasted one of you guys before. _And_ this is the easiest meal I've ever caught!"

"Mommy…!" I looked down at Tiny, who was staring up at me with large, teary eyes.

Well… Now I feel like trash just for wanting to let nature run its course. "Alright, alright! We'll help the poisonous and life-threatening Pokémon!" I exclaimed. "Tiny," I pointed up at the Pidove. "Use Thunder Shock on that Pidove!"

"Ch-ch-ch-CHUUUUUUU!" The Pichu unleashed a bolt of lightning towards the Pidove. It gave a squawk of pain before it fell off the branch and landed on the ground before us. I took a few steps back as the bird Pokémon got on its feet, its feathers literally and figuratively ruffled after being attacked. It reacted by flapping its wings and unleashing a gust of wind strong enough to knock Tiny down onto his back.

"Use Thunder Wave to stop it!" I called out over the wind. Tiny got on all fours and reared his back. Electricity crackled around him before it fired out and ensnared the Pidove, paralyzing it and stopping it from creating anymore wind. "Now use another Thunder Shock!" Another bolt of lightning hit the Pidove and caused it to slump on the ground.

"Ugh…! F-forget it! Venipede aren't worth this sort of trouble…!" The Pidove complained before it ran off into the bushes, too injured to fly.

"Well, that was a battle," I said with a sighed as I bent down to look at Tiny. "You okay? Hmm… A little mussed up, but nothing too bad. You are so troublesome, y'know that? That Pidove could've pecked the flesh from my bones or something…" The Pichu ignored my mood and chirped happily over his victory.

"Excuse me?" I looked up at the Venipede, still tied to the branch overhead. "Um… If you don't mind, could you please get me down?"

I gulped, still wary about helping a Pokémon like that. "Um… Okay!" I shouted up to it before quickly muttering, "Too bad I have no idea how to do that… I haven't climbed a tree in ages…" I looked down at Tiny. "Could _you_ climb up there?"

Tiny cocked his head to the side and gave me a look of confusion before he ran up to the tree. He rearing his back, he jumped onto the tree and began to climb with nimbleness I didn't really expect of a baby Pokémon. When he made his way across the branch to the Venipede, he began chewing through the string. Eventually, the string slackened and the Venipede fell off, landing on its back on the ground. "Yaaaay! Tiny help!" The Pichu clapped and cheered while the semi-conscious Venipede moaned. I stared with wide eyes at the scene before me.

**X-X-X**

A short while after being sprayed with some potion, the Venipede was fully conscious and twitching his feelers. "Um…thank you so much for saving me, Miss Human!"

"You're welcome." I was still wary enough to stay several inches away from the poisonous critter, and to my relief, it didn't notice what I was doing. "So, uh…how'd you get stuck up there? Bird Pokémon can't make string to tie people up…can they?" Sweet gods up above, I hope not.

"Oh, my friends were just playing a game with me!" What sort of game involves tying people up?! "Speaking of which, I have to go home now. Bye!" And then the Venipede began to crawl away from me.

"Uh, yeah. Bye. …Phew!" I gave a breath of relief as I crouched down, my heart racing after that encounter. Things could've turned out differently…in a _bad end_ sort of way.

"Aren't we going to go with him?" I looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. I jumped at the sight of Panacea, Eve and Shion standing in front of me.

"What the—! Why are you guys out here? I didn't call you!"

"You can't blame us for being worried after hearing cry so much last night," said Panacea, placing her paws together. "It always seems as if you're getting into trouble, Miss White."

"I do not!"

"Why didn't you try to catch that Venipede?" Shion questioned. "It had to have been weak from what it had been through."

"That would've been wrong!" Not that I care about things like honor in a wild Pokémon battle, but it'd be unfair to catch it after it was almost eaten by a Pidove.

"That guy could get attacked again!" Eve spoke up. "I mean…he's a harmless little buggie! He could get picked off by another bird! Or _worse_...!" I glared half-heartedly at the Eevee. Eve was starting to remind me of Black: she liked getting me into predicaments. And even worse, just like him…she managed to convince me. I'm a pushover to human and Pokémon alike.

"Hey, Venipede!" I called out as I stood up. The bug Pokémon stopped in its tracks and turned around to face me. "Why…don't we follow you home?"

The Venipede's antennae twitched. "Why…?"

"D-don't get upset!" I suddenly exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, not wanting to make it angry. "We just…wanna make sure you don't get attacked by another bird Pokémon! Really…"

The Venipede stared at us in silence. "I dunno… Mama says that humans will try to catch me and take me away from the forest forever if I'm not careful." Your mama must've been talking to N.

"I-I won't do that! Really! If I _did,_ then I would've caught you while you were still tied up! We just…wanna make sure you get home safe."

"Uhhh… Okay! Follow me!" The Venipede exclaimed before it turned around and resumed crawling away, the five of us following from behind. And we were probably moving even further away from Black and Bianca. Great…

**X-X-X**

We were still walking minutes later. It was late morning and, surprisingly, several Pidove and Tranquill had tried to eat Venipede. After a while, they stopped attacking. Maybe word got around fast about Tiny shocking anything that came close to eating the poisonous critter.

"How much farther is it from where you live?" I asked.

"Not too far, human lady."

"Call me White." No sooner had I said that did I feel the force of something tackling into me. I fell over with a cry and felt something heavy on top of me. I turned my head to look up at the culprit. A tall, human-sized Pokémon with a round yellow head, most of its body dressed in what seemed to be leaves, and long sharp claws that resembled half-eaten leaves. The Pokémon glared down at me darkly and raised its claws. Naturally, my reaction was to scream. "AAAAAAAHHHH!"

The leaf-covered Pokémon was attacked by a spray of water and a bolt of electricity from behind. Both seemed to do nothing but annoy the Pokémon as it turned its head to glare at the Pichu and Oshawott. It retaliated by spitting out some white gunk at them, which ensnared them in an instant cocoon that only their heads poked out of. Eve growled before she leapt forward and began to bite the taller Pokémon on one of its arms while Panacea began slapping it on its back. The yellow Pokémon managed to shake off Eve and Panacea as well before turning its attention back to me. I honestly couldn't do anything but stare, my body unresponsive to the mental demands to cry out, faint and hope that this was all just a nightmare.

"Mama, stoooop! Don't hurt my friends!" The Venipede cried out.

I cried out as the Pokémon stabbed one of its sharp claws downward. I closed my eyes, hoping for a peaceful a death as I could get. When I didn't feel any stinging pain—or anything, for that matter—I opened an eye. The Pokémon's sharp claw had been stabbed in the ground next to my head, making cracks in the ground. It looked at the Venipede and spoke, its voice sounding like a grown woman's, "Your _friend_?"

"She saved me from a bird! She's nice, Mama!"

"Really? Oh…" The Pokémon looked down at me while I was still quaking in fear. After a few seconds, it gave a lilting laugh. "Oh-ho-ho my! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Motherly instinct kicked in at the time." It then got off of me and pranced over to the Venipede, picked him up and began smothering him with kisses.

I sat up and stared in shock as my Pokémon came around me—in Tiny and Shion's case, they crawled towards me. Panacea began looking me over, trying to find something wrong, but smiled when she realized I was okay—physically speaking. The Audino began stroking my hair. "There, there, Miss White. It's okay. She was being defensive is all..."

"How…rude! Attacking us out of the blue and then brushing it off like that!" Shion grunted as she rolled over, trying to break free of the cocoon she was in.

"Mommyyyy!" Tiny whined.

Panacea held a paw to her cheek. "Mothers can truly be frightening when it comes to their offspring. Although…they don't look too much alike."

"Maybe that's his evolution!" The Eevee chirped up.

"R-really?! Such a change… He doesn't even have leaves!" The Oshawott gasped.

"Look it up, White! Look it up in your dex-thingie!"

At the Pokémon's insistence, I took out the Pokédex and scanned the tall Pokémon, who was now hugging her son. "Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon. Bug/Grass type. The final form of Sewaddle. When it sees a small Pokémon, it weaves clothing for it from leaves, using the cutters on its arms and silk it makes from its String Shot."

"I…I was beaten by someone whose skill is _making clothes_…" Shion gave a sigh of discontent and rolled along the ground, looking discouraged.

"A Sewaddle is one of those bugs covered in leaves, isn't it?" Eve asked. "_That_ kinda looks like a Leavanny, but Venipede…doesn't."

I checked the Pokédex again. "Venipede is a totally different species of Pokémon from Sewaddle." I'm no expert on Pokémon genetics and what not, but a female Pokémon can only make Pokémon of their own kind. I lowered the Pokédex and jumped when I realized that the Leavanny was now staring at me, its kind expression doing nothing to make me less wary after what happened. Luckily, it turned its attention back on the Venipede in her.

"How on earth were you even caught by a bird? Weren't you supposed to be with your…_other_ friends?"

"Um… W-we got separated." I arched an eyebrow. He said it was his friends that tied him up in the first place.

"And what happened to your nice new clothes?"

"A bird pecked them off."

"Oh, well… I'll have to make you some brand new ones! Come on! Let's go home!" His mother spoke cheerfully before jumping into the trees and disappearing like some leafy ninja.

"Hey! She didn't even thank us!" Eve complained.

"It _was_ a bit rude, but… No. I can't think of any reason why she couldn't thank us. Or at least apologize," Panacea said with a pout. "Then again, she doesn't know that Miss White can understand her, so she probably thought just going away was nice."

"Who cares? I'm glad Venipede's back with his mom and I'm happy she just didn't kill me," I said as I got to my feet. "C'mon, let's go and find Black and Bianca."

**X-X-X**

Black and Bianca just _had_ to run off after that stupid Sewaddle. Because of their eagerness to catch that stupid bug, I was without human companions, lost in a big forest filled with all sorts of dangerous killer Pokémon lurking in wait, anxious to tear me in half…and my Pokémon were treating this like it was a nature walk.

"And this is a Rawst berry. The longer and curlier the leaves are, the more bitter it tastes," Panacea explained as she held up a bluish-green berry that resembled a strawberry. "You use _these_ to heal burns. The flowers their bushes make upon blooming are also quite lovely."

"Raaawssst," Tiny drawled his pronunciation.

"I see. That's good to know just in case of an accident," Shion said with a nod.

"Can I eat it?" Eve asked.

"You can eat it or you can use the juice to soak the wound in," said Panacea.

"No, I mean _can I eat that berry_? Like, _right now_?" The Eevee asked with large, pleading eyes.

It didn't work on the Audino, though, who frowned. "No. You'll only spit it out like all the other berries I've given you."

"I promise I'll swallow it!"

"It isn't ripe yet, anyway. Better to plant it so it makes more for the local wildlife." Panacea bent over and began to bury the Rawst berry in the dirt while Eve whined pitifully.

"I'm glad you guys are enjoying this little excursion. _Because I'm not_," I spoke flatly, finally drawing my Pokémon's attention. "It's almost noon! And for all I know, Black and Bianca are in the belly of some ferocious Pokémon!" I exclaimed. My raised voice seemed to cause something to rustle nearby, which made me flinch. I felt my eyes began to water as I slumped over. "I just wanna get out of here and _never_ go into another forest _ever again_!" More rustling noises made me spin around to look at the source, seconds before a pink blur knocked me over and began run around in circles before me.

"AAAAAAHHHH! Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!" The blur cried before it ran headfirst into a tree. The blur, now unconscious, slid down. It turned out to be a Deerling with a pink and yellow coat.

"What kind of Pokémon is _this_?" Eve asked as she and the others circled around it.

"It's a Deerling," Shion stated. "It looks weird, though. Its fur is all pink!"

"Deerling are Normal/Grass type Pokémon," I began, "whose fur changes at the beginning of every season. This one's got a spring coat right now."

"I see…" The Oshawott looked back at me. "You should catch it, White!"

"Wh-what?!"

"It's already unconscious! And while I'd rather a fight, this is technically fair game, isn't it?"

"Yeah, catch it!" Eve exclaimed.

"Catch! Catch!" Tiny parroted as he threw his paws up into the air.

Panacea gave the three of them a disapproving stare that made them start sweating. "Where are your manners?! This poor thing hurt itself!"

I wasn't really looking at the four Pokémon as I stared at the unconscious Deerling. "What's that on its back?" It looked like…a Venipede. "It _couldn't_ be… No. Could it…?"

The Venipede stirred and looked right at me. "Oh! It's the nice human lady again! Hello!" I resisted the urge to slap myself in the face. "Um… Could you please help me out?"

**X-X-X**

The same Venipede from before. It was the _same Venipede_ standing in front of us. He looked rather cheerful for someone who had been hitching a ride on an upset Deerling. "Thank you so much for saving me again, miss human lady!"

"I told you that my name is White. Now, what were you doing harassing that Deerling? As soon as we got you off, it ran away."

"I dunno. One second I was with my friends, and the next, I woke up on top of a Deerling." His friends, huh? Where were they when he needed help, anyway? "Anyway, I'll be going home now." He started turning around to leave through the bushes.

"W-wait! Don't you want us to come with you?" I asked, feeling more concerned for a wild Pokémon than I really should've. I mean, the guy's had two incidents with other Pokémon in one day. Now I know what Bianca's father feels like when she acts particularly klutzy.

Just like last time, Venipede brightened up. "Okay! Mama says we should never go through the forest alone, in case we get attacked. That's why I always go somewhere with my friends."

"Yeah. Your friends. So…what exactly do you do with your friends?" I asked as we walked through the bushes. Were his friends the ones who tied him to a branch and another Pokémon's head? If so, then what jerks! And people keep saying there are no bad Pokémon...

"We…w-we…um…" Venipede stuttered, like he was struggling to come up with something. I wasn't the only one who was staring at him in confusion.

"Ooh, do you play games?" Eve spoke up, saving the Venipede from being put on the spot. "Do you play tag?"

"What's tag?" Venipede asked, sounding mildly interested.

The Eevee gave an overly dramatic gasp. "You've _never_ played _tag_ before?!" She soon calmed down and started to explain, "If you're _'It'_, you have to chase after us until you touch one of us. The one you touch is _'It'_ and has to touch somebody else to _not_ be _'It'_! Got it?"

"Um… No."

"Good! You're it!" Eve exclaimed, not really listening to Venipede as she ran off giggling.

"It! It!" Tiny chanted as he ran after Eve.

"Pfft! How childish!" Shion said with a frown. After a few seconds, she looked at Venipede, and then ran off.

"Seriously?! First my friends abandon me, now my own Pokémon?!" I shouted. I gave a sigh of annoyance. "This must be what motherhood is like for _all_ species…" I suddenly felt something tapping my boot and looked down to see Venipede lightly touching me with his feelers.

"You're it! Hee-hee-hee!" The bug Pokémon laughed as he ran off in the same direction as the others. Panacea followed behind him without a word.

"But I don't _wanna_ play—! Oh, _fine_!" I muttered as I picked up the pace and jogged after the group of Pokémon. "Now isn't the time to play games! If I wind up running into something dangerous while doing this, it'll be your fault!" Eventually, I caught up. It wasn't an accomplishment, though, because they weren't even moving. It looked like they had been stopped by a group of three Pokémon. Two Sewaddles and a Pokémon I didn't really recognize. It was big, round and yellow, wrapped up in a blanket of leaves in a way that made it look like one of those agoraphobes on TV. The Pokédex identified it as a Swadloon, Sewaddle's evolved form.

"OW! Watch it, you… Oh, it's _you_," the Swadloon muttered as its frown became more pronounced somehow.

"Hey, guys! These are some new friends I met today," Venipede told the other bugs cheerfully, not noticing the looks of exasperation they were giving him.

"Congratulations! You've met some guys who _look_ as weird as you _are_."

"Yeah~!" The Sewaddle added in a taunting tone.

"Who are you calling _'weird'_?! I'm normal in type _and_ appearance!" Eve growled as she swiped her paws in the air, trying to threaten the bugs.

"I've never seen anything as weird as the three of _you_," the Swadloon added. Eve started to grow and in response, the bug spat some white gunk in her face.

"AAAHHH! Help! Help! I can't see!" She whimpered as she tried to take it off herself. The Swadloon and Sewaddle started laughing as Tiny tried to help her take it off, only to get his paws stuck. Shion sprayed some water at the Eevee's face, soaking her and Tiny while washing away the gunk at the same time. This just made the bug Pokémon laugh even harder.

"Oh, man! You weirdoes are so funny!" The Swadloon continued laughing.

Eventually, I was annoyed enough to not be afraid of them. "Ugh, will you knock it off already?! You're ticking me off!" I shouted, stomping my foot in irritation. The Swadloon and Sewaddles stared up at me with wide eyes.

"HUMAN!" They all screamed before they spat some gunk at my face, blinding. "Let's get outta here!" I heard them screaming as I fell over in my attempts to take the gunk off of my face. After a while, I was able to get it all off. I sat up and saw that the leaf-covered jerks were gone as well, and so was Venipede.

Tiny jumped onto my shoulder and rubbed his cheek against mine. "Mommy okay?"

"Mm-hm. Although I'm kinda worried about Venipede. Where'd he go?" I asked. I really _was_ too worried over some wild Pokémon.

"He went off with those jerks he called his friends," Eve said with a frown.

"They can't possibly be his friends…can they?" Shion asked. "He doesn't exactly seem like them."

Panacea just stared at me. Her sad eyes and the little pout she wore made me sigh. I had a feeling she was thinking the same thing I was. "…Can't just leave him alone with guys like that…" I muttered to myself as I got on my feet. With a sigh, I adjusted my cap. "Let's go find him. If he's alone with _those_ guys, he might wind up getting stuck to something else."

**X-X-X**

After several minutes spent searching through the bushes, we saw Venipede and his _'friends'_ up on a tree branch.

"Um… Wh-what you did back there…wasn't nice. You should go apologize, or they'll stay mad at you. Please?" Venipede asked meekly.

"Why should I, wimpy?" The Swadloon asked.

"Yeah~?" The Sewaddles chorused.

"Because…they're my friends? And if you do, we can _all_ be friends?"

The Swadloon stifled a laugh only once before it burst out laughing, "Hahaha! Friends?! As if!" The Swadloon exclaimed. "Like anyone would wanna be friends with someone as weird as _you_."

"Yeah~!" The Sewaddles chorused.

The Swadloon suddenly tackled Venipede hard enough to make him lose his balance and fall off. He curled up into a ball and landed in front of us. The leaf-covered bugs continued laughing while the Venipede curled up into a ball. At that point, my blood started to boil. Any sort of fear I should've had was overwhelmed by anger. I raised my leg and kicked my foot against the tree trunk out of frustration. "HEY!" The bug Pokémon looked down at me, but this time their eyes reflected annoyance instead of fear. They spat out some more of that sticky gunk down at me, but they missed. "Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you can just _shove him off_ like that! He could get hurt!"

"Who cares?" The Swadloon asked.

"_You_ should care! There's not liking someone and there's just…being a bully!" Panacea said as she wagged a finger at the trio. "You should all be ashamed of yourself!"

"Mommy?" I looked down at Tiny and Eve, who were poking Venipede's unmoving body.

"He's not moving, White. Is he…y'know?" The Eevee whimpered.

I gulped. "_Dead_?" I don't know why I felt so cold at that moment. Pokémon died all the time in the while, but… He didn't do anything to deserve what happened to him. All he wanted was to make friends.

Tiny's ears twitched and he suddenly sat up straight. He lowered his head down to Venipede's curled up body and blinked before raising his head. "Friend sad?"

"Huh?"

"Friend sad," Tiny said with a pout.

Panacea leaned down and placed one of her feelers against the curled up bug Pokémon. "It sounds like he's crying, Miss White."

I arched an eyebrow and, against my better judgment, picked up the Venipede's curled up form and held him up to my ear. It was muffled, but I could hear him crying. At least he wasn't dead, thank goodness. "Venipede? Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything, are you?" All I heard were muffles I could barely hear. "What?"

"I'll never make friends… Nobody likes me… I may as well…stay like this for the rest…of my life…!" He continued crying.

"H-hey now! That's not true! _I_ like you! We _all_ like you! _We're_ your friends!"

"But you're not bugs! Just…a human and…some other weird things…!"

"So? Friends don't have to be _exactly_ like you. We may not be bug Pokémon, but we're nicer to you than those jerks you keep trying to be friendly with."

"But…I want to be…like everyone else…"

I sighed and bit the inside of my cheek. "Not everyone in this world will want to be your friend. Some people won't like you because you're different from how they think you should be. They may even pick on you for it. But there are people right here who like you just the way you are."

The crying stopped. "You really want to be my friends?"

"Of course! Right, guys?"

"Yeah!" Eve and Shion exclaimed.

"Friends! Friends~!" Tiny sang, hopping in place.

Venipede suddenly uncurled and crawled along my arm. I froze and resisted the urge to scream as he climbed up my arm excitedly. "Really?"

"Uh-huh… C-could you please get off of my arm? I'm…ticklish," I lied.

"Oh, brother. What a bunch of wussies!" The Swadloon groaned from on the branch with the Sewaddles. In seconds, they were all pushed off of the branch by the blast of a Water Gun attack and landed in the bushes.

I looked down at Shion, who looked unashamed. "They deserved that. Everyone here agrees, right?"

I shifted my gaze from the Oshawott to the Venipede. "Let's get you back to your mom, okay?"

**X-X-X**

After we went back to the Leavanny, I told her about what had happened. All the while, she looked on the brink of tears. "Awww… My poor baby…!" She cried, rubbing her claws against each other. "But you realize your new friends can't stay here forever, do you?"

Venipede's feelers twitched. "What do you mean?"

"Humans and the Pokémon who travel with them are always passing by. They never stay. Eventually, they're going to leave."

Venipede's eyes began to water. "But…but…they're my friends! They _have_ to stay!"

"You can't force them to stay if they don't want to. But…if _you_ want to…you could go with them," his mother spoke sadly.

"Huh?"

"It's like…a rite of passage. Challenge the human to combat, and if she defeats you, she has the right to put you into one of those little ball thingies that they carry around. Thus is how relationships between all species are fostered…or so I've been told."

I arched an eyebrow. "Wait, wait, wait. You _want_ me to have a Pokémon battle with Venipede and _catch_ him?" It all sounded _too_ good to be true. "I would think you…wouldn't want him to leave."

"Let's face it: even though I've raised him to be a good little buggy, those who aren't afraid of him at first glance pick on him. He can't be happy here. But as much as I love him, I know my sweet, precious little baby could never survive outside of the forest on his own!" The Leavanny explained. "That's where _you_ come in! See how useful you are?"

"But…but…I don't wanna harm my new friends!" Venipede cried.

"Sometimes we have to harm the ones we love, darling," his mother told him. "Besides, it's not like you're going to _kill_ them…I hope." Why did she say that? She didn't _have_ to say that! "Now go out there and defend yourself like Mama taught you!"

"Okay…"

I backed away from Venipede so we'd have enough space to fight. I looked down at my Pokémon. None of the Pokémon I had were particularly effective against Venipede type-wise, so… "Eve, you're up!"

"Yay!" Eve bounced forward before settling down in front of Venipede.

Venipede did its best to imitate a growl before charging forward. "Alright! Let's get things started with Tail Whip!"

"Hmhmhm~!" The Eevee turned around and began to shake her tail in a rhythmic fashion. Eventually, Venipede stopped running and stare at the tail in fascination.

"Now use Tackle!" Eve turned around and charged the Venipede, striking him with her head. It must've hit a tender spot because it was able to send Venipede flying back, and he landed on his back. "Once again, tackle him!" She lowered her head again and started to charge just as Venipede curled up into a ball. His body shone as soon as Eve's head hit it and sent her flying back. Then he rolled towards her quickly and knocked Eve down just as she was starting to get back on her feet.

"He _hit_ me! I thought he was too wimpy to fight back!" The Eevee complained as Venipede uncurled and began to bounce in place.

"Counter with Quick Attack!"

Eve suddenly darted forward quickly, only visible as a light brown blur, and struck Venipede headfirst before he could curl up again. He landed on his back once more and curled up again before rolling towards Eve again.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!"

The Eevee once again dashed forward, jumping over the rolling Venipede and landing on her feet running. She did a U-turn and ran into the Venipede headfirst from behind, sending him flying past my head and into a tree. He fell to the ground and uncurled, dazed and partially conscious. I reached into my bag and pulled out an empty Poké Ball. I threw it at Venipede, and in a flash of light, it opened up and took him inside. After a few seconds of shaking, the ball stopped and clicked. I ran up to the ball and picked it up, releasing Venipede.

"You okay?" I asked him, feeling a bad about having to be rough with him.

"I feel…dizzy…" Leavanny suddenly picked him up from behind and started smothering him with butterfly kisses once more. "Did I do good, Mama?"

"Mwah! Wonderful! Mwah! Excellent! My little boy is ready to go out there without his mama. It's a little saddening, but it's for the better." She gave him once last kiss before setting him back on the ground. "Have fun, dear!" It was amazing how she made it sound like her son was going on a little get-together with friends and not leaving home forever.

"You must be tired. Why don't you take a rest in here?" I suggested before returning him into his Poké Ball. I slipped it back into the bag and pulled out the others' balls. How I knew which ball belonged to who, I have no idea. I just might be getting better at this. I recalled Shion and Panacea, leaving only Eve. "You, too. You worked hard, so rest up."

"But I'm not tired!" She lied. She was obviously lying because she looked unsteady on her feet.

"No complaining! Now it's time to rest," I said as I returned the pouting Eevee into her ball and slipped it back into my bag. "I'll try my best to take care of Venipede, ma'am," I tried to assure her.

"You had better. Or else I'll find you!" Leavanny threatened me. I felt fear grip me, but it wasn't the usual fear linked to dangerous Pokémon. It was the fear of incurring the wrath of an upset mother.

"Uh… D-d-don't worry! Your son's safe with m-me!" I stuttered with a nervous smile as I slowly backed away. Then I finally lost my cool and ran off while sputtering, "Okay! Bye!" with Tiny holding onto my vest for dear life.

**X-X-X**

Several minutes later, after I felt like I was safe from Leavanny's wrath, I bent over trying to catch my breath. Tiny patted my cheek to get my attention. "Okay?"

"Okay…" I panted. "Well, for all the trouble we've went through, we've got a new friend, right?"

"Friend!" The Pichu exclaimed with a nod.

"On the other hand…we _still_ don't know where the heck the others are… In fact, we're probably far, far away from wherever they are…" I slumped over and sighed. "Ugh… I just wanna get out of this forest…!"

**X-X-X**

**Review for the sake of Blu and Pichu!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Updating earlier than usual because, to my (unfortunate) surprise, I'm going away next week to visit relatives for heaven knows how long. So I'm just gonna post this chapter, wish all of you happy holidays and remind you that if you can't review via the normal way (because of my stupid decision) you can always PM a review, if you want. Or just read.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Pokémon series. I only own this fan fiction._

**X-X-X**

_~#640: The Hunt for Virizion~_

Forests are not safe places to be. Wild Pokémon wandered about—all dangerous in their own way. Mother Nature could, at any moment, decide your life was worth taking in a freak accident. On a slightly lower scale of annoyance were trainers who were crazy enough to go into one for the purpose of training Pokémon and challenging trainers. I was enduring all of these potential threats in order to find my friends. Wasn't I a nice friend?

"Venipede, noooo!" Cried the cap-wearing youngster I had been challenged by. When I had tried to ask him about whether he saw Black and Bianca, he assumed I wanted to battle before I even got a word out. He only had two Pokémon, though, to my relief: a Pidove who was easily knocked out by Tiny, and a Venipede who had now been knocked out by my own Venipede. The boy looked sad as he returned his unconscious Pokémon to its ball. "Wow, your Pokémon are _really_ _strong_ if they could hold out against my Pokémon's strongest attacks!"

"Wow, really? I must be stronger than I thought!" My own Venipede said, sounding cheerful.

"Uh, yeah…" Or maybe you shouldn't have told them to use attacks that weren't very effective against their types. Seriously, the kid kept using Poison Sting so many times, I wondered if maybe he just liked the move a lot. "Now, did you see a guy in blue wearing a red and white cap? Or a blonde girl in orange with a green hat?"

The boy puckered up his lips in thought before he started smiling. "Oh! I think I saw that girl." He pointed over his shoulder. "She was asking if I'd seen Virizion in the forest before. Weird, huh? She talked about it like it was a _Pidove_ or something!" The boy then walked off, I assumed to go heal his Pokémon.

"Virizion? Is that one of your human friends?" Venipede asked, feelers twitching upward.

"Huh? No, that's a legendary Pokémon! How could you not know about that?"

Venipede's feelers drooped and I immediately felt bad. "S-sorry for not knowing…"

"It's okay… It's not like you would know about human myths and legends. And Virizion is like the sort of thing you'd find in a fairy tale."

"What's a fairy? And why would it have Virizion in its tail?" The Bug type asked.

"Fey-ree," Tiny pronounced with a look of curiosity.

I shook my head. "Fairies aren't real. Anyway, Virizion is one of the three Swords of Justice who, in legends, fought to protect Pokémon from humans that wanted to expand their territory onto the Pokémon's homes. As kids, we were always told that we shouldn't do anything bad to nature, or else the Swords of Justice would come and punish us." Thinking about it now had a negative effect on me. So much as dropping some litter might lead to me getting the business end of a horn. "But what the heck would _Bianca_ want to do with something like Virizion? I thought she was hunting a Sewaddle!" A dark thought suddenly popped up in my mind: did something happen with Virizion? Did it do something to Black? What if I was an only child now?! "W-we have to find Bianca before something bad happens—if it hasn't already…!"

**X-X-X**

After that, I pretty much blocked out what happened. Maybe I was challenged by some trainers and _maybe_ I acted a bit harshly, but it was pretty much a blur until I encountered Bianca by a little pond. My first reaction was to jump at the blonde and hug her with all my might, nearly causing both of us to fall into the water. "Oh my gosh, you're safe! You're _alive_! Oh, I'm so happy that you're okay! What about Black? Is he safe? Is he hurt? Is he _dead_?!"

Bianca managed to pry me off of her and stared at me in confusion. "H-huh?! White, don't just jump onto me like that! I was worried you were some bad person or other!"

"_You_ were worried? _I_ was worried! You and Black ran off and left me alone in the middle of a forest of _death_!"

"What?" Bianca looked pained before she started hugging me. "O-oh, White. I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you alone, and neither did Black, I'm sure! You must've been _terrified_!" No kidding! I'd have probably fainted by now if I hadn't been so worried about Bianca and Black's safety.

"But what's this about you going to find Virizion?"

"Um…" The blonde bridged her fingers together and smiled. "I'm going to help Professor Juniper by researching Virizion!"

"…What?" I asked in a flat tone.

"W-well, all entries in the Pokédex on legendary Pokémon say things like _'this is based on myths, legends, and hearsay'_ near the end because no one's ever gotten close enough to one to really research them. So, I figured…_I_ could learn some more stuff about Virizion and tell the professor about it so she could add it to the Pokédex! Wouldn't that make her happy?"

I continued to stare at her blankly. "Bianca. You're talking about a legendary Pokémon. _Legendary_. Legends don't just _pop up_ in front of you like an everyday Pidove. And even if you _did_ find it, you're going after one whose legends suggest it _hates humans_! It could _kill_ you at first sight!"

"That's just your phobia talking! This is why I didn't want you helping me!" Bianca said with a frown.

"What? You wanted me to help you with this craziness?"

Bianca began to fiddle with the strap of her bag. "I thought that maybe you could talk to Virizion and learn all sorts of things about it since you can understand Pokémon. But I figured that you wouldn't be able to handle it, and I didn't want to put you through that sort of fear, so…I thought maybe _N_ could help!" That explains why she was following N through the forest. "But," she said, starting to pout, "I guess he thought I wanted to do something bad to Virizion, because he said he'd have to be a monster to help someone catch a..._majestic Pokémon_ to poke and prod it just so a little device could have more information." Well, _that_ figures. "When I was looking for Sewaddle, I suddenly realized that I wasn't doing what I set out to do. So I figured that I would start searching for Virizion before I joined up with you and Black again."

I stared at her in disbelief. "Bianca, I already told you: legendary Pokémon don't just pop up because you go out searching for them. It could be _anywhere_!"

"Not true: the legends say that Virizion rests in forests!"

"Yes, _legends_ and _plural_ forests! As in probably not true, and if it is, _not just Pinwheel Forest_! Bianca, this is ridiculous. Let's just go and find Black instead of going on this wild goose chase…" I put my hands on my hips and stared at Bianca. "Well? Let's go."

Bianca shook her head and balled up her fists. "No! For the chance that she's given me, I wanna pay back Professor Juniper by aiding her research of Pokémon!"

"_Bianca_—!"

"If you don't wanna come with me, I'll understand. It's just like Cheren said: we're supposed to be going on these journeys _by ourselves_, so we may as well learn to do things _by ourselves_." She turned around and adjusted her hat with a determined expression. "I'll just consider this my time to learn to depend on my own skills!" She began to walk away, but then turned around to look at me. "You should probably go back on the main road and wait for Black, just to be safe."

Well, that did it. Bianca succeeded in making me feel like a bad friend _despite_ me being logically correct and probably not meaning to do so. I bit the inside of my cheek and glared at the blonde girl. I approached her and grabbed her arm. "I'll go with you," I muttered. Bianca's eyes lit up and she began to smile. Before she could open her mouth, I said, "Don't get me wrong! I doubt we'll find anything at all! I'm just going with you because I don't want you getting yourself lost out here."

Bianca laughed and took my hands in hers. "Thank you, White! You don't _have_ to come along, though. I can handle it on my own! But thanks for coming with me anyway. You're a true friend!"

Ah, well, that's what I am. A true friend who is willing to endanger both her life and her friend's for a ridiculously impossible task… Seriously, how do my friends talk me into these things?

**X-X-X**

Minutes passed as we went deeper into the forest. I kept myself distracted by playing with Tiny, rather than pay attention to every sound and sight of Pokémon. Bianca walked beside me, still seeming confident that we would be able to find Virizion. I wasn't sure if I'd be a very good friend if I just let her wander around like this clinging onto the slim chance of succeeding. "Bianca—" I began, but I was silenced by the sound of voices. "Wh-what was that? Is that…Virizion?"

Bianca looked at me and shook her head. "No, I can hear them. They're people." I gave a breath of relief as her eyes lit up. "They might've seen Virizion!" Yeah, I highly doubt the chances of that. "Let's go ask them!" She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the direction of the voices. She soon stopped in her tracks and her happy expression became a worried one. "White, it's—!"

"Ssshhh…" I hushed Bianca and gestured for us to duck down behind some bushes. We looked through the bushes at the sight of a trio of Team Plasma members. Great, as if the trip through this forest couldn't get _worse_… Why were these guys even still here? Weren't they all chased off after what happened in Nacrene City?

"Uh, guys. I really do think we're lost," one Plasma member spoke timidly.

"No kidding, genius," another spoke sternly with his arms folded across his chest.

"We were told to meet up with the others, but we can't find them," said the female grunt sitting on a stump. She groaned and held her head in her hands. "How're we supposed to find Virizion when we can't even find our own comrades?" Wait, did she just say…? "It's important that we're there to help capture Virizion. With its power, Team Plasma will be brought even closer to liberating all of Unova's Pokémon!"

"I _still_ say it's a waste of time. Why bother relying on some legend when we have the king?" The stern grunt asked.

"H-he needs all the help he can," said the timid grunt. "Although… M-maybe _he_ should be the one doing this, since he can understand Pokémon and everything…"

"Our lord is too busy to deal with such things," the female explained. "That's where _we_, his loyal servants, come in! So both of you stop your whining and do your jobs!"

"That's kinda hard to do when we don't know _where_ our job is…"

I held my breath the entire time they spoke. "Alright," I began to whisper. "There's three of them and two of us, so we should…" I suddenly noticed that Bianca was no longer kneeling beside me. "Bianca?"

"Y-you stop right there!" I looked up and saw Bianca, now standing in front of the Plasmids with her hand in her bag. "I won't let Team Plasma harm Virizion—or _any_ Pokémon!" When did she do that? More importantly, _why_ was she doing that? This isn't the sort of situation where you play hero!

"What the…? Who do you think you are?!" The stern Plasmid said with a frown. "Team Plasma will do whatever it takes to help the Pokémon of the world! Speaking of which, if you have any Pokémon, it would be in their best interest for you to hand them over to us."

"No!"

The female sighed as she got on her feet and took out a Poké Ball along with the other two grunts. "It figures. Trainers like you only resolve matters with violence, right? We'll teach you a lesson with _pain_ then! Go, Blitzle!"

"Come out, Pinsir!"

"G-go, Croakgunk!"

In flashes of light, the Plasma members released their Pokémon. The woman had sent out a Blitzle, a black horse-like Pokémon with a spiky white mane and white stripes. The stern man had sent out something I'd only seen in games and on TV: a Pinsir, a Stag Beetle Pokémon whose sharp white claws twitched, serrated teeth moved within its mouth, and large spiked pincers opened and closed in an intimidating way. The timid man's Pokémon was unfamiliar: a small blue frog that stood on two feet with yellow eyes, orange bulges on its cheeks that inflated and deflated as it croaked, and white stripes on its torso.

Bianca wore a stern expression as she took out three of her Poké Balls. "Y-you don't scare me! I'll take you on by myself!" She sent out her Tepig, Munna, and Lillipup.

At this point, I stood up from behind the bush, shouting, "Are you crazy?!"

"Eek! There's another one!" The timid grunt cried.

"So what? She's just another person whose Pokémon we'll liberate," said the stern grunt

Bianca turned around to look at me. "Don't worry, White! I'll prove that I can handle myself, too!"

"Feint Attack!" The stern and timid Plasma grunts commanded their Pokémon. The Pinsir and the blue frog Pokémon dashed forward, seemingly going for Lillipup and Tepig respectively, but in the blink of an eye, they were by Munna's side as they punched the Psychic type at the same time. The Plasma Pokémon jumped back as Bianca's Munna fell to the ground, unconscious from the dual attack.

"Munna, no!" The blonde immediately returned Munna into its Poké Ball. "H-hey! Don't attack me while my back is turned!"

"Then pay attention, brat."

Bianca growled before taking out her Pokédex to scan her opponents' Pokémon, quickly taking looks at Team Plasma to make sure they weren't attacking her without notice. "Blitzle, an Electric type. Croagunk, a Poison/Fighting type. Pinsir, a Bug type."

"Blitzle, use Quick Attack on that Lillipup!" The female grunt commanded, pointing at Lillipup. The Electric type whinnied before dashing forward, appearing as a black and white blur that struck Lillipup before heading back over to its trainer.

"Hey! I was—!"

"Pinsir, Brick Break!" The stern grunt's Pinsir jumped at Tepig. Bianca was too disoriented to issue an order, but Tepig blew embers out of its nose into the Bug type's face, stopping its attack before it could hit.

Bianca opened her mouth, probably to call out the Plasmids again, but the timid grunt spoke up before she could. "Croagunk, use Toxic!" His Croagunk opened its mouth and spat out dark purple liquid. Tepig managed to dodge, but Lillipup was soaked in the liquid. He shook it off, but his face became tinged with a sickly blue.

"Use Flash, Blitzle!" The Blitzle's mane began to glow bright white and filled the area with a blinding light.

"Pinsir, Vice Grip!" A pained yelp followed after that command. When the light faded, the Pinsir was squeezing Lillipup between its horns like a vise. With each second, Lillipup was crying and coughing as he tried in vain to get free, but that only caused the Pinsir's spikes to dig deeper into his body. With one final cough, the Puppy Pokémon's body became limp.

"STOOOOOP!" Bianca shouted. The Pinsir separated its horns and Lillipup's unconscious body landed on the floor. She sniffled as she returned Lillipup to its ball and began to mumble apologies to it. After a few seconds she looked at Team Plasma. "You aren't fighting fair!"

"We're fighting no differently than one of you trainers would!" Said the female Plasmid. "Moving in quickly, ganging up on a single opponent, weakening them to the point of sickness and mercilessly taking them down with a powerful move… We're only fighting fire with fire!"

"So you don't even care if you hurt the Pokémon you're trying to help?" I called out.

"We can always heal them later before releasing them into the wild. They'll be too grateful to care if we roughed them up a bit."

"A _bit_?! If you wanna see the sort of roughing up you've been doing, just battle _my_ Pokémon!" Ah, that adrenaline was finally kicking in. It took it long enough, but between Bianca's being distracted and the Plasmids' frightening-looking Pokémon, I was too busy being the spectator.

But while I was taking my Poké Balls out, Tepig was snorting smoke and embers. His body shook as he grunted and a pale light began to flicker around him. The light continued flickering as Tepig's grunts became louder. With a shout, the light engulfed the Fire type Pokémon. When the light faded, in Tepig's place stood another, similar-looking Pokémon. It stood on both legs, its tail ending in a puffy tip of fur and yellow designs emblazoned over its torso, which was partially covered by brown markings that made it look like a leotard.

"Is that…Tepig?" Bianca spoke slowly, not registering what had happened. "Did…did he evolve?!" She scanned him with her Pokédex. "He's…a Pignite now. When angered, the intensity of its internal flame increases, making its movements sharper and faster."

"NIIIIITE!" Pignite bellowed and stomped on the ground, his body suddenly becoming shrouded in roaring flames. He dashed forward, tackling the Pinsir and burning it with his flames. The Bug type was about to fall when Pignite grabbed hold of one of its horns and threw it at the stern grunt.

"Ah! Cr-croagunk, use Feint Attack!" The timid grunt commanded. His Croagunk leapt forward, disappearing in front of Pignite as he made to attack, then reappearing to strike from above with a punch to the Fire type's head. However, the attack didn't do anything but make Pignite mad. He grabbed the frog-like Pokémon's arm and slammed it down onto the ground, face first. The Croagunk glared up at the Fire Pig Pokémon. "Poison Sting!" The Croagunk spat out a barrage of glowing purple darts, aimed at Pignite's torso. He flinched in pain, but it wasn't enough to make him falter, and he retaliated by giving the poisonous frog a punch to the head that knocked it out. "Croakgunk! Noooo!" The timid grunt gasped as he collapsed to his knees.

The female grunt's eye twitched. "Blitzle! Use Wild Charge on it!" The Blitzle began to stamp its feet and its mane began to flicker bright yellow. Electricity began to crackle around its body as it snorted in an intimidating manner. Pignite snorted as well and stomped his feet, flames surrounding him once again. They charged at each other and collided, causing sparks of electricity and embers to fly. The Blitzle went flying back and landed in front of its trainer. The female grunt sucked her teeth in annoyance as Blitzle got up on shaky legs. "Forget this!" She returned her Pokémon to its Poké Ball and looked at her comrades. "We don't have time to waste playing with some stupid kids! We need to find the others!"

"R-right!" The timid grunt squeaked.

"What?! But I still have more Pokémon!" The stern grunt shouted.

"Save them for Virizion!" The female grunt looked in our direction. "Sadly, your Pokémon's liberation will be postponed _for now_."

Pignite, scratched up but conscious, stomp his foot and growled in an intimidating way. The Plasmids began to slowly back away before they turned tail and ran off screaming. Pignite screamed, "PIIIIIIIGNIIIIIIIIITE!" With a roar, he ran off in the same direction as Team Plasma.

Bianca seemed to finally snap back to reality as her Pokémon ran off. "Pignite? Wait! Come back, Pignite!" She called out, but Pignite didn't return. She turned to look at me with dread. "Wh-white… What happened? Why did Pignite just run off like that?" I shrugged, not really sure how to answer. I was actually pretty terrified of the Fire type and the way he acted. I'd have probably fainted if he hadn't focused his rage solely on Team Plasma. "I need to find him! He's hurt, and there's Team Plasma and wild Pokémon, and…and…!" She sniffled. "I have to find him before something happens!"

**X-X-X**

This wouldn't have happened if I had just put my foot down. I should've been sterner, should've told Bianca _'no'_ and stopped her from doing this. A part of me wanted to voice those thoughts out to her to take her mind off of what had happened, and maybe take the blame that Bianca felt she deserved. She seemed to think that she had done something wrong to make Pignite run off without her, since he never did it as a Tepig. Perhaps it was the way she battled? Or the way she reacted to Team Plasma's way of fighting her? Whatever it was, Bianca considered herself the one to blame.

"Nn? What's that?" Bianca spoke up after what felt like hours of uncharacteristic silence from her. "I hear voices. Maybe it's people who saw Pignite!"

"Wait a minute!" I hissed, grabbing her arm and holding her back. "Let _me_ go first this time. Just in case." There were supposed to be more Team Plasma members, after all. And with Munna and Lillipup injured, only Eevee remained to protect her. Taking the lead, I led Bianca into the bushes, cautious as I tried to avoid any Pokémon that may have been hidden. We ducked down behind a particularly large rock and cautiously looked behind it. There were some Team Plasma grunts standing around a large, mossy rock.

"Hmmm…" One of the grunts threw his arms out. "This is it!"

"What…?" Another grunt asked, sounding confused.

"This rock! It _must_ be connected to Virizion!"

"…I don't think a _rock_ was part of the legend of Virizion," said another grunt.

"But just _look_ at it!" Who I assumed was the lead grunt insisted. "Doesn't it exude this sort of vibe? An_ energy_ unlike anything normal! Surely this rock must have a connection to the forest's protector, Virizion!" What sort of logic was _that_? It looked like a plain old rock to me.

The other Plasma members stared at the rock in silence for a few seconds before one spoke up, "It _does_ kinda stick out…"

"It _does_ seem special," said another.

The lead grunt began to beam. "See? Now all that's left to do is call out to Virizion! Surely the purity of our cause will allow it to come out to us!"

"Is this guy for real?" One grunt muttered loud enough to be heard.

"Would you prefer to walk around for some _more_ hours?" Another asked.

Within seconds, all the Plasmids were calling out to Virizion, some enthusiastically, others apathetically. I stared in disbelief of their actions. Talk about ridiculous… As if a legendary Pokémon would pop out because you called out to them.

"Huh?" A Plasma member looked in our direction, and from the way he was staring, he noticed us. "What the—? Who the heck are _you_?!"

I stepped out from behind the rock with Bianca behind me. The grunts all began to glare in our direction. "I'm the one who'll put an end to this nonsense! You think a Pokémon like Virizion is gonna help people like _you_?"

The lead grunt huffed and put his hands on his hips. "Virizion would be more than happy to help us! We of Team Plasma endeavor to protect Pokémon from humans, just like it would!"

"No, _not_ just like it. Virizion had a _good_ reason! You guys are nothing but crooks and bullies!" I folded my arms across my chest. "What're you gonna do if Virizion decides not to join you? Are you just gonna force it and catch it like one of us _'awful trainers'_?"

The lead grunt's face turned red and he stomped his foot in frustration. "ARRRGH! How dare you insult Team Plasma and our noble goal?! Even if we can't find Virizion, we can release your Pokémon from servitude! Everyone, attack!" On cue, all the other Team Plasma grunts released their Pokémon. I gulped, realizing just how many members there were: _ten_. Ten Team Plasma grunts and ten Pokémon, all _glaring_ at me. I felt terrified and ready to run, but Bianca stepped up beside me. "Bianca!"

"I'm here, too, White! I can't let you fight all of them by yourself!" She took out a Poké Ball and released her Eevee. The Normal type saw all the glaring Pokémon and whimpered, shrinking back. "Don't worry, Eevee. This time, I'll pay close attention!"

I stared forward in fear. Tiny jumped out of my bag and landed in front of me. His cheeks crackled with electricity as he made his best attempt to be intimidating. I gulped and adjusted my hat. At a moment like this, a miracle would be nice…!

"PIIIIIIIGNIIIIIITE!" A familiar cry distracted the Team Plasma grunts.

"Oh? Is that Virizion?!" The lead grunt asked.

"Uh… I don't think…" One grunt trailed off beforethe three grunts from earlier ran out of the woods, followed by Pignite. The Fire Pig jumped and tackled into them, knocking them down and landing on top of the timid grunt.

"KYAAAAAHHH! Get it off! Get it off of me!" The grunt stuttered as Pignite's nostrils flared.

Bianca wore a look of relief. "Pignite!"

Pignite turned around to look at her and suddenly calmed down. "Huh? Bianca?" It took a look around, confused. "Wh-where am I?" He looked at himself and his new features. "Wh-why do I look like this?!" Pignite then noticed Team Plasma. "What are _they_ doing here?!" I just stared in disbelief. Did it seriously forget what had happened?

"Pignite's ability is Blaze. That causes him to get intense when his Fire type abilities power up… But that's the longest he's been out of it. I'm just happy he's okay," said Bianca.

The lead grunt looked annoyed. "That thing doesn't look the least bit like Virizion! How dare you get our hopes up, you lousy _pig_?!"

Bianca immediately took out Pignite's Poké Ball and returned him before any harm could happen to him. "You rest now, Pignite…"

"Grrrr! My patience is _seriously_ running thin! Hand over your Pokémon NOW!"

"ZIOOOON!" A voice echoed through the area that made everyone but the lead grunt stand still.

"What is that? Some other Pokémon? Ignore it and focus on—!"

It happened so quickly. A green blur moved amongst the Plasma grunts, knocking them down as it made its way up onto the mossy rock. A green, four-legged Pokémon glared down at us with its light brown eyes. "What have we here? Humans are so _loud_, polluting the quiet of the forest with their noise," it spoke in a smooth, male voice. Everyone stared up at it in silent awe. Virizion. It was _Virizion_. I was looking at a legendary Pokémon with my own eyes…and I was _terrified_. This was a Pokémon whose power had to have been devastating…and from the displeased look on his face, he might use it on _us_. I would've fainted, but I was too worried about what might happen to me if I _did_.

The lead grunt soon forgot about Bianca and me as he turned to look at Virizion. "Oh…! O-oh!" He clasped his hands together. "Oh, great and powerful Virizion! We request that you aid us in our noble quest to free Pokémon from human tyranny!"

Virizion tilted his head, as if honestly considering it. He really wouldn't…would he? Bianca gulped, probably thinking that was the case, and spoke up, "D-don't listen to them, Virizion! They hurt the Pokémon they say they want to help! They're bad people!"

"Quiet, you little brat!" The lead grunt looked up at Virizion and resumed his pleading. "We of Team Plasma seek to protect Pokémon! Won't you lend us your power and strike down those two trainers, so we can free their Pokémon?"

Virizion continued to look thoughtful. After a few seconds, the legendary Pokémon disappeared as soon as I blinked. A few more seconds, and some grunt's Plasma uniform was cut to shreds. The same thing happened to another grunt. Then another…and another…until the lead grunt himself was stripped down to his Stunfisk-patterned boxers. And as quickly as he disappeared, Virizion reappeared on top of the mossy rock, smirking as he leered down at the Plasma members.

Needless to say, the Plasmids were _not_ pleased. They all pointed up at Virizion, each commanding their Pokémon to attack the legendary Pokémon. The Pokémon, though, appeared to be smarter than their trainers. Rather than attack, they remained frozen in place, cowering in the presence of a Pokémon that they could probably _feel_ was stronger than them. Virizion took a deep breath, as if preparing to attack. I gave a short yelp of fear, took Bianca's hand and darted behind the rock we had been hiding behind previously, our Pokémon following behind us. Tiny, somewhat clueless, jumped into my bag, while Bianca's Eevee did the same as he burrowed into her bag. I braced myself for the force of some awe-inspiring, soul-crushing attack… But all Virizion did was roar loudly. No… More like…all it _took_ was a roar to make Team Plasma's Pokémon _and_ members run off in all directions. Even the lead grunt was running off with his tail between his legs.

Bianca opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her. It seemed like the entire area had fallen quiet. I gave a sigh of relief, thinking that Virizion had gone back wherever it had come from...

And then the rock we were hiding behind was sliced apart and shattered into varying sized chunks. Bianca and I wound up falling down on our backs, staring up at the canopy of Pinwheel Forest and Virizion, who towered over us. The legendary Pokémon stared down at us with distaste, his eyes narrowing and his mouth forming a frown. I couldn't help but panic. In seconds, I was scrambling about like a frightened Sewaddle in the face of an Unfezant. I soon found myself backed up against a tree, Tiny safely tucked away inside of my bag and looking up at me in confusion.

But Bianca didn't move. She just laid there, staring up at Virizion in awe. If I were in a more stable mental state, I'd have probably pulled away from the dangerous creature and run off somewhere safe—if such a place existed in this forest. Virizion snorted and Bianca soon realized that she should be worried. She got on her feet and stepped back, Eevee poking his head out of Bianca's bag.

"Humans…are quite ridiculous. Thinking they can involve me in their affairs," Virizion spoke with disdain.

"Y…you hate humans, don't you? You think we all treat P-Pokémon badly, don't you?" Bianca asked, her voice shaky in the face of a legendary Pokémon with little patience for her kind. "Team Plasma may be bad people, b-but not _all_ humans are like them! Not all of them are bad! I _love_ my Pokémon, and so does my friend White over there!" Wait, what? _No_! Don't mention me—! Too late. Virizion was glaring in my direction with as much disdain as before. I whimpered and hugged the tree I was against, trying to get up so I could run away. "Anyway, you don't have to attack us! We can be friends!"

Virizion narrowed his eyes. The majestic-looking Sword of Justice looked far more malevolent now. "All humans say that. And you're no different." He began to glow with a pale green aura, and long blades of green energy formed along his horns. Bianca just stared in awe. "None of you are worth reasoning with!"

As Virizion swung his head to strike with one of his bladed horns, Eevee jumped out of the bag and took the blow. The little white Eevee was sent flying into the mossy rock and landed on the ground, whimpering, "D-don't…hurt…Bianca…!" Virizion turned his direction from Bianca to Eevee, looking confused. "Sh-she's my…friend…! Don't…don't hurt…!" The mossy rock began to glow with a pale green light. The same light surrounded Bianca's Eevee until he couldn't be seen. When the light faded, Eevee had changed. His white fur had become pale tan, his paws dark brown. Small blades of grass appeared to be growing out of different parts of his body, with a large blade curling out of his head like a cowlick. Both his ears and tail were mostly light green and resembled leaves. "I don't…want to fight…! But if you hurt her, I'll…I'll hurt _you_!"

"Ah. Yet another little one so foolish as to think that the human that calls themselves their master is a friend. But…" Virizion looked at Bianca. "You will forget about her if she is no more."

The evolved Eevee began to glow with a pale green aura that resembled Virizion's a while ago. The grass-like curl on his head suddenly straightened and began to resemble a knife of sorts. With a growl, he ran forward intending to attack the legendary Pokémon. As he swung, though, Virizion disappeared. In the blink of an eye, Virizion reappeared, tackling the smaller Pokémon and sending him flying into a tree with enough force to knock it over and allow more sunlight to shine down on it.

"No, Eevee! I mean…" Bianca trailed off, not really sure what her Eevee had evolved into, but too worried about looking away from what was going on.

Bianca's Pokémon slowly rose to his feet, grunting in pain. After a few seconds, his grassy parts of his body began to glow and his injuries began healing. Virizion snorted. "So you healed yourself. I take it that means you want me to trounce you some more?"

"I'll take all that you've got until I know you won't hurt my friends!"

"Friends? You consider these humans friends? They draw our kind into their conflicts, destroy our homes, and even treat us like weapons. They aren't worth hurting yourself over."

"Bianca's not like that!" I shouted, suddenly remembering how to speak. "B-Bianca treats all her Pokémon like friends! And I…I wish I could be as reckless and b-brave as her!" A part of me was still wishing to just fall unconscious as I trembled. "And even the ones who a-_aren't_ as good as her can treat Pokémon like friends." In the blink of an eye, Virzion appeared in front of me. _Right_ in front of me. He towered over me with a judging look that I fortunately didn't get to see for long, because I blacked out.

**X-X-X**

"Look, look! She's coming to!" That was Bianca.

"White! Are you okay? Say something!" That voice. Black?

"Mommy!" I heard Tiny cry, followed by the sensation of a mild shock. My eyes snapped open and I found myself staring up at the Pichu, who was in the middle of nuzzling up to my face. "Mommy...! Chuuuu~!" I became aware that we were no longer in the forest, but _outside_. I had a clear view of the sky, free of tree leaves, and I was happy about that. I'd have fallen to my knees and kissed the ground if I wasn't already lying down on my back.

Black kneeled down next to me, smiling with a look of relief on his face. "Glad to see you're alright. I thought after seeing a legendary Pokémon in person, you'd go into a coma!" Oh, I would've, if it weren't for Bianca. "Bianca was dragging you along when I came across the two of you."

Bianca kneeled down on the side next to me. "Oh, White! Can you ever forgive me?! Because of me, we got into so much trouble!" She sobbed with watering eyes. "Even though we tried to save it, Virizion still tried to attack us. You probably lost _years_ off your life!" A whole decade, actually. "I'm as bad a friend as I am a trainer, aren't I?"

I slowly sat up and looked at Bianca. "You're a good trainer, and a great friend. If you weren't, Tepig and Eevee wouldn't have evolved when they did. If anyone's a bad friend, it's me. I froze when you needed me the most. I'm sorry."

"I-_I'm_ the one who should be apologizing! I should've known better than to drag you along with me for such a dangerous thing!"

"And _I_ should've stopped you from the very beginning, when I already knew how dangerous it could've been."

"_I_ think," Black began, drawing attention to him, "That we can all agree that you are _both_ terrible friends who care for each other."

I gave my brother a half-lidded stare. "And _you're_ a terrible brother."

"Huh?"

"You left your Pokémon-fearing sister, whom you were told to look after, to go chase a _bug_."

"I-I thought you were right behind me! And when I didn't see you, I thought you were with Bianca!" My brother made excuses while I watched him squirm. "Anyway, you wanna see him?"

"See _who_?" I muttered seconds before something was shoved into the side of my face. I blinked and took in the sight of a little yellow head with beady black eyes and an orange snout. I stared at the Sewaddle and it stared at me. "…EEEEEEEEEEK!" I shrieked at the same time as the Sewaddle before I fainted once again. Why couldn't we just get to Castelia City already…?

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**In BW, Pinsir can be found on Route 12 and Croagunk can be found during swarms on Route 8 in the Spring, Summer and Autumn. Both become part of the native Unova Pokédex in BW2.**

**Croagunk learns Toxic via TM. Pinsir learns Feint Attack via breeding. Blitzle learns Flash and Wild Charge via TM. Virizion learns Roar via TM.**


	13. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: Blu Rose does not own the Pokémon series. She only owns this fic._

_Summary:_ _En route to Castelia City, White, Black and Bianca encounter Cheren and N and decide to travel to Castelia together. What could possibly go wrong?_

**X-X-X**

_~On the Way to Castelia…~_

_The four of us stood before a building. Nuvema Town's Trainer School wasn't as big or fancy as those in cities like Striaton or Castelia, but it was still official in the eyes of the Pokémon League. Like all trainer schools, it existed to teach children about Pokémon: how to raise them, what to be careful about, and how Pokémon battles ought to be conducted. And upon graduating from the relatively short course, the students were rewarded with a trainer's license—that ID that allowed you to buy Poké Balls, use the PC service, and enter Pokémon League-sanctioned events and things like that. _

_The constant use of the word "Pokémon" was the reason why I didn't want to go inside._

"_Come on, White! You can't just stand out here all day!" Black complained. He tried shoving my 10-year old body through the entrance, but I started to grapple with my brother and tried pushing him back. To passersby, it may have looked like we were wrestling._

"_No! I don't wanna be a trainer! I don't even wanna be __**near**__ Pokémon!"_

_Cheren adjusted his glasses. "People fear things they don't understand. Therefore, going to trainer school to study about Pokémon will help you overcome your fear of them."_

"_Or! It could prove that my fears are well-founded!" I snapped back. And for good reason: it was all Cheren's fault that I was here! Before, it was only him, Black and Bianca who wanted to go to school so they could get trainer licenses as soon as possible. They had a plan to leave Nuvema Town on their journeys at the same time. But what about White, their sister and friend who often had to be dragged around town because she froze at the sight of Pokémon? Well, Cheren thought __**this**__ would help her get over her fears and join them on their journey across Unova. Everyone was on board with this idea—__**except me**__._

"_Your mom already paid for your textbook and enrolled you for the summer. So quit complaining," said Cheren._

_Bianca stepped forward and put her hands together. "Puh-lease, White? We only have what's best for you in mind. Won't you come to class with us?"_

"_Yeah, you'll just make Mom and Dad sad again!" Black added as he continued to grapple with me._

"_ALRIGHT!" I shouted, causing the others to jump and Black to let go of me out of fear. I huffed and folded my arms across my chest. "I'll go to the stupid class…!"_

"_Yes! You won't regret it, White!" My brother exclaimed._

"_It'll be fun, we promise!" said Bianca._

"_Just think of how much this'll help you and you'll be fine," said Cheren._

_I only sighed in response to all their reassuring. I swear, the things those three could get me to do…_

**X-X-X**

"NOOOOOO! It's not FAAAAAIIIIIIR!" I jolted upright at the sound of a loud voice, now fully conscious. But the moment I sat up, I was pushed back down by a little brown bundle of fur. "White! I wanna evolve me! Make me evolve! Do it now! Do it now! Do it NOW!"

"EEEEEEK!" Still a bit twitchy after the encounter with Virizion, I immediately got on my feet and stepped away from the Pokémon as it fell off of me.

"Aw, c'mon! Don't be scared! I just want you to evolve me!" The little brown bundle of fur turned out to be Eve, poking her head up over the tall grass.

"Ee-vol! Ee-vol!" A pair of Pichu ears stuck out of the top of the tall grass as well. Tiny began to hop, trying to make himself known.

"What the— What are you doing out of your Poké Ball?" I asked.

"I wanted to see if we were there yet."

"Does it _look_ like we're in a city?" I said, gesturing as I pointed out the wilderness.

"Now's not the time to make jokes! I wanna evolve!" Eve insisted. "Just like _him_!" She looked over to the right and I followed her gaze. She was looking at Bianca's Eevee—or what _was_ Bianca's Eevee. Eevee's plant-like evolution was sitting down stiffly as it shimmered. Wait…_shimmered_? "Stop shining and stop mocking me!" Eve whined.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…!" The former Eevee whimpered.

"I think your Eevee's upset, White," Bianca's voice came from another direction. I turned my head and saw her and Black sitting in the grass a few feet away from her Pokémon.

"No duh, Bianca. She was rolling in the grass crying a while ago," said Black. "Maybe she's jealous of Leafeon."

I arched an eyebrow. "Leafeon?"

Bianca began to beam. "That's one of Eevee's evolutions! According to the Pokédex, Eevee evolved because that stone in Pinwheel Forest was something special."

"Oh. Good. By the way, what are you guys doing over there?"

My brother and friend held up a pair of sandwiches partially unwrapped from plastic. "We're having lunch!"

"…So while I was knocked out and unconscious, you guys decided to just have a snack," I spoke flatly, not believing what I was seeing. "I expect this of Black, maybe, but _you_, Bianca?"

"Oh, don't get so upset. It's too hard to guess when you'll wake up, especially when it's different every time," Black made up excuses. "And it's not like we ran off and left you alone in the middle of nowhere. Hey, you hungry? I've got some snacks I bought from Nacrene City."

"You can't apologize with _food_!" I snapped.

"I've got a honey bun~!" My twin brought spoke temptingly, waving the pastry in the air. "And it's got icing~!"

"…Just gimme the bun," I spoke darkly, making my brother flinch.

**X-X-X**

Minutes later, I was sitting in the grass next to Black, taking a drink of water before I finished off my honey bun. My eyes fell on his Pokémon. He was looking at his newly caught Sewaddle. Standing next to Kaito was Valentine, who seemed to have evolved into a Tranquill while we were separated.

"Let's see… From now on, _you_…" He stared intensely at his Sewaddle, who still looked quite fidgety. "Your name is…Felix." Black picked up Felix, who stilled in his hands. I'm not sure if it was because the bug felt relaxed in Black's hands or scared stiff. "This guy here is Kaito!"

"What's up?" The Dewott asked, giving a salute in greeting.

"And this is Edwin," Black continued, facing Felix towards his Eevee.

"Hello," the Eevee spoke simply.

"And _this_ is—"

"EEEEEEEK!" Felix shrieked the moment he was faced towards Valentine. At the sight of the Tranquill, he blew out silk from his mouth and wrapped her up in a cocoon.

"No, Valentine! Felix, why'd you do that?!" Black exclaimed.

"B-birds! No…_birds_! G-get it away!" The Sewaddle demanded as Kaito cut Valentine free. The moment Felix saw this, he screamed. "EEEEEEK!" Once again, he sprayed silk all over Valentine, and Kaito as well. "…I don't like birds."

Kaito managed to cut himself free of the silk and gave the bug a flat look. "Obviously."

I heard a sigh that made me look down at Shion, who was standing in front of me. The Oshawott wore a dreamy look on her face and was staring intensely at Kaito as she muttered under her breath. "Is…something the matter?" I asked slowly. "Don't tell me you've got a crush on him now that he's evolved."

Shion snapped out of her daze and looked up at me in confusion. "Why would you think that? I-I was simply admiring his new form. Yeah…" She turned around to stare at the Dewott some more before muttering, "I should've evolved by now."

"Oh, no… Not you, too!" I groaned, rubbing my temples. "_Eve's_ on an evolution kick. _You're_ on an evolution kick. Next thing you know, Tiny's gonna be asking to evolve into a Pikachu!"

"Because!" Eve exclaimed, suddenly popping up next to Shion and surprising us both. "Evolution is awesome! Evolution is what I am _born_ to do, right? Right! So evolving should be my #1 priority!"

"Evolving means that you've become stronger. So evolving will be a necessary measure of my strength," Shion added.

"Some Pokémon's types change when they evolve, Miss White." I gave Panacea an annoyed look, which didn't affect her. "It's true."

"I want to evolve, too!" Said Venipede. "I wanna become a Leavanny!" I gave him a look of confusion, as did Shion and Panacea. "…What?"

"First of all, it's not genetically possible for you to become a Leavanny," I explained. The little red bug deflated and his antenna drooped. "Secondly… You don't have a name yet."

"Huh?"

"Hey, we're talking about evolving, not _naming_!" Eve said with a pout.

Ignoring the Eevee, I stared down at the Venipede in thought. "How about…Mars? That's the name of a god of war who fights for peace."

"Hey," Eve spoke.

"That sounds nice. Peace is nice."

"_Hey_." Eve continued to make herself known.

"Okay then. Your name will be Mars from now on, okay?"

"Okay… But if I don't evolve into a Leavanny, what _do_ I evolve into?" Mars asked innocently. I gave a sigh while Eve looked pleased with herself, not caring that she wasn't the one who turned the conversation back to evolution.

I looked down at Tiny, who was in the middle of chewing on a flower. "At least _you_ aren't hounding me about evolution. _You_ should be the only one to evolve, just for that." He looked up at me in confusion and cocked his head to the side, a flower petal dangling from his mouth. "I just have to make you happy, don't I?"

"NOOOOOO!" Eve cried out overdramatically.

"She's only kidding. Calm down," Shion spoke flatly as the Eve began to run in circles, crying.

I sighed as I continued staring at Tiny. "Y'know, I really might evolve you alone…"

**X-X-X**

After finishing off lunch, we continued down the road. The only difference was that now, Eve was poking her head out of my bag along with Tiny. The reason was because the insufferable little Eevee was intent on evolving the quickest way possible…and since I didn't have any elemental stones, that was Pokémon battles. She pretty much made it clear that the first trainer she saw, she'd attack like some wild Pokémon, so I had no choice but to agree to challenge them cordially, like a good trainer.

"White! White! Look at that!" Eve chirped. "There're people up ahead! _Finally_! Let's fight 'em!"

"Hey, someone's having a battle up ahead! Let's go watch!" Black exclaimed from the front of the group, sounding excited. Without even waiting, he started to run. After a few seconds, he turned back around and approached Bianca and I. "Well? Let's go before the battle's over!

"Alright, alright…" I muttered, following behind Black and Bianca at a less enthusiastic pace. Once we were close enough to see, but far enough so any attacks wouldn't hit us—thank goodness—I raised my head to observe. "Hey. Is that Cheren?"

Bianca squinted her eyes and leaned forward. "Mmm… It _is_ him! I'd recognize that cowlick anywhere!"

We watched as a Purrloin pounced at a Tranquill, swiping its claws furiously. The Tranquill flew up into the air, just barely avoiding getting scratched up. It flapped its wings and kicked up a blast of wind that seemed to cut Purrloin. The feline Pokémon raised its paw, which began to glow, and thick green vines shot out of it. The vines wrapped around Tranquill and Purrloin used them to slam the bird Pokémon to the ground. When the vines faded, Purrloin pounced and scratched at the Tranquill once again until its trainer returned the bird Pokémon to its ball, admitting defeat. After exchanging a few words with Cheren, the trainer ran down the road.

"Hey, Cheren!" Black shouted, immediately making our friend look in our direction. Both sides began to approach each other and met in the middle. "Aren't you supposed to be in Castelia City by now? It looks like _you're_ the one who's taking their sweet time getting there."

"For your information, I stayed behind for reasons: mainly training my Pokémon, which I hope you've all done as well."

Bianca pouted. "Why're you counting me and White? You two are the only ones who want to fight the champion!"

"White's challenging the gyms, too, remember? And even if she wasn't, anything could happen. It's best that both you and your Pokémon are prepared for whatever may happen," Cheren explained as he adjusted his glasses.

"We're already prepared! White and I encountered the legendary Virizion and survived!" Bianca responded cheerfully.

I gave the blonde girl a half-lidded stare. "Are you kidding? We could've been _killed_ by that thing!"

Cheren gave the two of us a skeptical look. "You're joking."

"Nope! We saved it from Team Plasma! …Sort of," Bianca added meekly

The dark-haired boy looked at me. "Is she telling the truth? Did Team Plasma _really_ try to do something to Virizion, a _legendary Pokémon_?"

"Well—"

"They did!" Bianca exclaimed, interrupting me. "What happened was…"

For the next couple of minutes, Bianca retold the events involving Virizion and Team Plasma. By the end, Cheren was looking at the two of us sternly, like a parent upset with their troublesome children. "Really, Bianca? You thought you could get close to a legendary Pokémon and _not_ expect that it could be hostile? And you, White! I thought you would have sense when it came to things like dangerous Pokémon!"

"Sorry," both I and Bianca spoke at the same time, bowing our heads in apology.

"I suppose it's a good thing you were there to stop them, although it doesn't sound like Virizion really needed the help." Yeah, I should've known that a bunch of no-good Pokémon thieves couldn't even convince someone as powerful as Virizion to join them, let alone _capture_ it. It didn't even stick around to thank us—that's how little it thought of us. "But it's worrisome. It's bad enough that they're targeting trainers and their Pokémon, but now they're apparently going after legendary Pokémon as well?"

"Yeah… You have to wonder where they're gonna draw a line," Black muttered.

"I wonder what the Pokémon League is doing to stop them. Shady, rotten guys like Team Plasma who try to get their hands on anything they want with criminal means should be brought to justice."

"That isn't true!" That voice. _Please_ don't let it be— "Team Plasma is a noble group with a righteous cause!" Yeah, it was N. It was N walking up to the four of us, getting up close to Cheren, and towering over him as he glared down. "Someone like _you_, a trainer who captures Pokémon to battle just to obtain pointless badges, could never understand their selfless goals!"

Cheren narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me? How can you call people like Team Plasma _noble_? Have you not heard about how they robbed the museum in Nacrene? Or how they tried to _steal_ Pokémon from a daycare, not release them? They'd even hurt a wild Pokémon if they thought it would further their _selfish_ goals!"

N shook his head. "That's a lie! They might have a few aggressively passionate people among them, but Team Plasma are heroes!"

"_Heroes_?! You really buy their nonsense, don't you? I feel sorry for your Pokémon if they had a trainer who would so callously abandon them because a stranger told them it was the right thing!"

"N, why are you being a stalker and following us?" I suddenly asked, hoping to break up a potential fight.

N looked at me and frowned, still upset. "I am not stalking anyone! I was merely walking behind you."

"Really? I didn't see you," said Black.

"Me, nether," said Bianca.

"Neither did _I_, and yet you were close enough to hear Cheren and not speak up until he started to talk badly about Team Plasma. That makes you a stalker," I finished.

"I am not. Please stop referring to me by that word," N spoke, sounded exasperated.

"Do you guys know this person?" Cheren asked, looking at me now, though he still looked annoyed.

"This is N. He can understand Pokémon, too, just like White." Black explained.

"Really? And yet he supports Team Plasma?" The dark-haired boy muttered.

"I know, right? It's mindboggling to me, too. And he has the nerve to get upset with me for not thinking the same way as him because of that," I explained.

"Does he do things like this towards _everyone_?"

"He once came up to me at a restaurant in Nacrene and just sat down next to me for that very reason."

"Ah. So he's rude."

"Incredibly so."

"If you could stop being so rude and _pay attention to me_!" N spoke up, sounding aggravated. He looked at Cheren. "I feel sorry for your Pokémon. They probably don't want to fight for your precious badges."

"The feeling's mutual, for different reasons. How would your Pokémon feel, I wonder, if you just let them go because of someone else's words?"

"Pokémon are my friends. I understand that they would be happier in their home in the wild. Someone like you probably doesn't consider a Pokémon's feelings, only their strength."

Cheren growled and looked ready to lose his temper, but he adjusted his glasses and held onto the frame for a few seconds before looking at N again. "A lesser man would pick a fight with you over that. But I'm not the sort of trainer who uses Pokémon to resolve their personal arguments nor the type of person who starts punching when they're upset." Really? I wouldn't think any less of you if you decked him one, Cheren. I'm sure you could take 'em.

"Uh… N!" Black suddenly exclaimed, as if trying to change focus from the argument to him. "You're going to Castelia City, aren't you? So are the four of us!"

Cheren interjected, "Excuse me? The _four_ of us?"

My twin looked at our spectacled friend. "There's no harm in all five of us going together, is there?"

"Black, how can we find ourselves on our journey if we're always found _together_?"

Black fell silent and stared in confusion at Cheren. After a moment, he laughed, "Look at you, trying to sound all mature and deep! There's nothing wrong with hanging out with your friends every once in a while, isn't there? And traveling's better with company." He then looked at N. "I know N wants to come with us, don't you?" Black, why do you do this to me?

N looked back and forth between Black and I. "I would very much like to travel with you and your…friends. At least until we arrive in Castelia City."

I started to give Black a glare, as did Cheren. At that moment, Bianca stepped in-between us to try and defuse the situation. "Now, guys, calm down! N's a pretty nice guy, if a bit difficult times… Actually, he's kind of like the two of you in a way!" I immediately began glaring at Bianca. "It's only a thought…"

While Cheren began to fume silently, I turned around to look at N. "You. Just…_behave_. And don't say anything particularly annoying, okay?"

"I'll try not to," the green-haired teen answered. Don't try, _do_! For the sake of my patience, and possibly your life, _do_!

**X-X-X**

Over an hour later, we were standing at one end of the Skyarrow Bridge. It was funny: we were taught how Skyarrow Bridge was the longest bridge in the region, but after actually seeing it with my own eyes, it was longer than I previously imagined. It was awe-inspiring, sure, but I couldn't help but ask, "Just how long is it going to take to walk across this thing?"

"The recorded total length of the Skyarrow Bridge is over 1000 meters long, so the best estimate would be an hour and 30 minutes, depending on how quickly we move." The person who said this, oddly enough, wasn't Cheren, but _N_. I couldn't help but stare at him in disbelief. "…Is something wrong, White?"

"N-no, I'm…just surprised you know something about the real world." And it's something like distance and estimated time. Was he, like, a math genius? Or did he just remember that from a book on the bridge of Unova? "Still, over 1000 meters long… Maybe they should've just kept the ferry system and save people the pain of walking this far! It's murder unless you don't have a car!"

"If other people can walk this distance and make it, you can survive," said Cheren.

"Yeah, White! Think of it as endurance training!" Black exclaimed. He then got a look in his eyes. "Hmmm…" He took out his Poké Balls and began to release his Pokémon. "Guess what, guys! We're gonna run down the Skyarrow Bridge for training!"

"Okay," said Kaito and Edwin, nodding in agreement. The former began to stretch while the latter began to run in place.

Valentine didn't say a word and just took to the air, flying a foot overhead of us. Black began to look thoughtful. "I guess Valentine's training would be _flying_ instead of _running_…" He looked down at Felix the Sewaddle, who was staring down at the paved road in amazement. After a few seconds, he picked up the bug and placed him on his shoulder. "There! Since you may not be able to keep up, I'll carry you. Alright, guys! Let's go!" He took off running with his Pokémon keeping up behind him—except for Felix, who was holding onto Black's jacket for dear life.

"I really wish that old ferry system was still running," I muttered under my breath. Over 1000 meters. That was fine for the bridge below when you're driving a car, but not when you're walking.

Bianca began to look thoughtful as well and began to release her own Pokémon. "You guys should be able to experience this! The Skyarrow Bridge should be enjoyed by Pokémon, too!" She then ran off, also followed by her Pokémon.

Cheren snorted and adjusted his glasses. "Those two are just too energetic sometimes. They'll probably tire out before they're halfway across the bridge." He began to walk away, but turned around to look at me. "Are you coming, White?" I was about to open my mouth when I heard the cry of Pokémon from above. I froze, refusing to look up. A downy blue feather floated down past my face and I gave a squeak of fear. Cheren stared at me for a few seconds before looking up and taking out his Pokédex to scan whatever it was that was flying overhead. "Ah, Ducklett. I suppose it's common for Flying type Pokémon like them to roost along the high points of bridges like this. …I know you want me to say that there's no chance of them swooping down to attack, but there's actually a 50-50 chance of that happening. Some Pokémon simply enjoy picking fights. For your own good, I suggest you take it in stride and just move along. Otherwise, you're going to be left behind." After a few seconds of waiting, Cheren turned and began to walk away.

I really wanted to shout at Cheren for just leaving me behind in my time of need. But I remained silent, balling up my fists as Ducklett, Pidove, and other bird Pokémon squawked and cried out from above. At some point, N entered my field of vision and began to stare at me in confusion. "White? Is something wrong? Are you experiencing vertigo?" You have to at least _look down_ to get vertigo!

"Mommy?" I heard Tiny speak with a hint of worry.

"White's scared of the birds," Eve pointed out from her place inside of the bag. "I think she's too afraid to move. I am, too. What if one of those things drops an egg on us?"

"You idiot, birds don't lay eggs in the middle of the air," said Zorua. "N, just leave her behind. Her dumb friends'll eventually realize she's not there and come back for her."

N continued to stare at me. It was starting to disturb me, like he was trying to look at my soul or something. Just as I was going to speak at last and tell him to stop being creepy, the green-haired teen took my hand and began to walk, dragging me along behind him. "Don't worry, White. I'll help you make it across safely." I heard Zorua give a groan of annoyance.

I really wanted to say _'let me go, I can walk by myself'_, but the fear-addled part of my brain wanted company and a meat shield to protect me from dive-bombing Ducklett. We walked for minutes, the green-haired teen's grip remaining tight. To passersby, it must've looked ridiculous…or like we were a couple. That was the last thing I needed: for people to think I'm dating a guy who's managed to tick me off almost every time we meet. At that point, I regained control over my voice and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Come again?"

"Why do you wanna follow us and travel with us? You don't _like_ us—we're what Team Plasma's fighting against. And _I_ don't like you because your admiration of Team Plasma blinds you to the crimes they commit. So why do you keep popping up to bug us like this?" Someone had to ask it, and since Black and Bianca were too nice about it and Cheren had only just met N, _I_ had to take on the responsibility.

"Because I want to be friends with you and your brother."

I arched an eyebrow. "Um…_friends_?"

"Yes. You're both such…interesting trainers. Nothing like what I thought. And it's…nice to meet someone like me."

"Oh, so _that's_ how it is. Well, I'm sure Black wants to be your friend, but not me."

N stopped walking and turned around to look at me. "Why not?"

"In case you've forgotten, you tend to cram Team Plasma's mumbo-jumbo into a conversation when you can, and it's _annoying_. You already know my feelings about them, and yet you still persist to hover around me like you think I'm gonna do something wrong, which makes me feel like the worst trainer on the face of the planet. You just…make me uncomfortable." N immediately let go of my hand and stepped away from me. I guess _'uncomfortable'_ was the key word for _'back off'_. I stared as he began to play with the cube hanging from the hem of his pants. "Look, I'm sure there are people out there you'll get along with just fine, but I'm not one of them."

"Why do you like your friends then?" I gave the green-haired teen a suspicious look. "I'm merely curious about why you would consider them friends."

"I dunno. I'm just…comfortable around them."

"And I make you uncomfortable."

I hesitated for a moment, not sure how he'd react. "…Yeah." N began to stare at the pavement in thought, and I stared at him, expecting a response soon. But when it felt like he wasn't going to speak again, I walked past him, determined not to fall behind of the others or remain on this forsaken bridge any longer.

**X-X-X**

"Whoever thought it was a smart idea to make this bridge accessible on foot was an _idiot_. They should've just kept the ferry running instead and leave the bridge for the _cars_. Imagine having to walk this far every time you wanted to travel between Castelia and Nacrene! This would turn people off of walking for the rest of their life…!"

"White. Who are you talking to?" Eve asked.

"I'm not talking, I'm complaining. Mostly to myself. Because if I keep talking and focusing on my hate for this bridge, I won't notice all the bird Pokémon flying around." Some Ducklett quacked somewhere from above and their downy feathers along the breeze. "…Not noticing them at all."

"White!" I looked up in time to see Black, Bianca and Cheren running up to me. My twin grabbed my arm and began pulling me further down the road, Bianca pushing me from behind and Cheren right next to me while all their Pokémon trailed behind. "You've gotta see this!"

"What is it?! This better not be a flock of Ducklett! They shed feathers like it's their molting season or something…!" I continued complaining.

"Just look, just look! It's really amazing!" Bianca exclaimed.

We all gathered along the side of the road overlooking the ocean. Looking down, I could see what they were making such a big fuss over: a large cruise ship that was passing out from under the vehicle bridge. Smoke from its stacks wafted up into the air and it sounded its horn. I could make out little dots that were people walking along the deck.

"Isn't that amazing? It's the Pleasure Boat! Just like on TV~!" Bianca swooned. "I wish I could take a photo of it. I love that show!"

"Uh… The _Pleasure Boat_?" I repeated as Bianca hummed the theme song to Pleasure Boat.

Cheren looked at Bianca. "I'm sure she means _'Pleasure Boat Royal Unova'_, don't you, Bianca?" The blonde stopped humming and stared in confusion. "The Pleasure Boat on TV was based on the Royal Unova, right down to the name. It does daily cruises around the Unova region from Castelia City. It looks like soon they'll making another run." Black, Bianca and myself began to stare at him. "…What?"

"Did you just…make a joke?" Black spoke in disbelief.

Cheren's eyes widened for a moment before he began to blush. "It wasn't on purpose!"

"Riiiight…"

The spectacled boy huffed and began to walk away. Bianca turned to us with a smile. "I wonder if _I_ could go on the Pleasure Boat? It'd be so cool to go on a cruise ship!" She then began to sigh. "But I guess the tickets are really expensive… Well, I guess I could always see it while it's docked in Castelia, if I'm lucky…" She then walked off with her Pokémon in tow.

"I've never seen a boat that big before… Interesting," said Valentine.

Kaito huffed. "I don't see what all the fuss is about. I can do the same thing as that…_boat_."

"Can you carry dozens of people and provide rooms, food, and simple necessities?" Edwin asked quickly.

"Yes! No! I… What did you even _say_?"

"I heard that on Bill's TV once."

"Oh. Who's _Bill_?"

"He's a maniac," said Eve.

"Yeah, a maniac," Edwin repeated, causing Kaito and Valentine to stare at the Eevee pair in confusion.

"By the way, White," Black began, "why is N standing that far away from us?" I turned around to look at N, who was standing several feet away from us. He was staring out to sea in the direction the Royal Unova had gone. "It's kinda weird that he's shy all of a sudden."

"He's not being shy. I told him that he made me uncomfortable, so I guess he decided to stay away from me." My brother began to frown and stare sternly at me. "What? Don't give me that look!"

"How do you _want_ me to look at you after what you've done?"

I huffed. "I was being honest! Would you have wanted me to say _'Sure, I'll be your friend!'_ when I can barely stand him? That's not how friendships should start, Black."

"Actually, I think that _is_ how they start. And would it really be so bad to be friends with N? I mean, when he's not focused on Team Plasma or thinking that trainers are bad people, he's a nice guy." I continued to stare at Black skeptically. "Y'know, I remember a little girl who once had no friends because other kids thought she was weird and different, but one day, she learned the joys of friendship."

"…You're not gonna let me get off of this bridge until I make nice, are you?" With a sigh, I turned my back on Black and approached N. "Hey, N. Sorry I told you the truth about how uncomfortable you make me." Black punched me lightly in the back. "…Anyway, we can _try_ to be friends…I guess."

"But I make you uncomfortable."

"Then you better try to start making me comfortable from this point on."

"…Alright." N walked up to me and stared for a few seconds before he hugged me. It only lasted a short while before I managed to break free of his hold. "Is something wrong? Did I hug you too tightly? I do that sometimes, I admit."

"You…! You do _not_ just randomly hug people!" I snapped.

"I don't understand. Hugging makes my Pokémon friends more at ease around me."

"Do I _look_ like a Pokémon to you?"

"Actually—"

"Shut up, Black," I muttered before I turned around and walked away.

**X-X-X**

I have no idea how long I spent walking along that bridge, but at some point, I reunited with the friends who went ahead of me and the idiots I thought I left behind. By that point, though, I was too tired to put up a fight against them. I think we were all tired, actually. Black and Bianca had even decided to return their Pokémon into their balls when they began to tire out. But the fatigue soon faded away when we began to see tall buildings, cars, and crowds of people hustling along.

"Well, we're in Castelia City," said Black.

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," said Cheren.

"I wasn't trying to. I was trying to sound happy, but…I'm just too tired!" Black complained.

"Too be honest, I almost didn't notice we were here because my legs are _killing me_…!" I spoke as I bent over, rubbing my sore legs.

"Mine, too…!" said Bianca. "Let's find a Pokémon Center where we can relax. The sooner, the better!"

"I…can't." We all turned to look at N, who suddenly spoke up. "I don't like Pokémon Centers."

"If you don't like going to Pokémon Centers, how do you heal your Pokémon? Where do you even _sleep_?" Cheren asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I know people."

"People? Well, I guess if you've gotten along _this_ far, it's okay. But are you sure you're gonna be okay out there?" I couldn't help but ask. "Have you even _been_ in a city before?"

"No." Oh, dear heavens, we'll probably hear tomorrow about how he got mugged or ran over by a car. "Are…you worried about me?"

"Of course I'm worried. You scream _'easy target'_ for shady people who might want to take advantage of you—and _that's_ the _best_ scenario! The worst ones end with you dying!"

The green-haired teen began to smile. "I'm glad." Because I was thinking about you _dying_? "You like me enough to be worried about my safety." No, that's called having compassion, a trait that I'm only showing to you because the worst thing you've done is insult me. "Until we meet again, Black and White." I watched N walk off with Zorua walking behind him. Eventually, he disappeared among the crowd of people walking along the sidewalk.

"…He forgot _we_ were here, too," Bianca said with a pout.

"I don't care if he did. I wouldn't exactly mind if I don't run into that N character again," said Cheren.

"I'm sure you'd like him if you gave him a chance," said Black.

"I can't help but feel uncomfortable around him. He supports Team Plasma despite their acting like thieves and criminals. If you let him get too close, he might snatch your Pokémon away and release them."

"He wouldn't do that. N wants what's good for Pokémon! I'm sure he'll see the truth on his own, eventually…"

Bianca cleared her throat, bringing the boys' attention on her. "Um, guys? Pokémon Center? Seriously, I need to sit down for the sake of my achy legs and feet!"

"Alright, alright. Let's go."

I felt someone tap me on my shoulder and turned around to look at Black. "No need to worry about him, I'm sure. N's managed traveling on his own for this long, after all."

"Yeah, but I'll feel a bit guilty if he winds up getting hit by a car or something…" I muttered before the four of us walked off to find a Pokémon Center.

**X-X-X**

_Notes!_

**In-game, the only accessible trainer schools in Unova are in Striaton City (BW) and Aspertia City (BW2).**

**Felix means "lucky" and "successful". Mars is the Roman god of war who, unlike his Greek counterpart Aries, is portrayed positively in myths as using military power to secure peace.**

**In the anime, there's an episode centered on a town where a ferry to Castelia ran prior to the Skyarrow Bridge being built. This doesn't exist in the games, though.**

**The Royal Unova only sets sail in the evening in-game, but it can be seen passing underneath Skyarrow Bridge even in the day.**


End file.
